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TRANSLATED   AND   EXPLAI 


JOSEPH  ADDISON  ALEXANDER. 


AN  ABRIDGMENT   OF   THE   AUTHOR'S   CRITICAL      ^ 
COMMENTARY   ON   ISAIAH. 


VOLUME   II. 


NEW    YORK: 
JOHN     WILEY,     18     PARK     PLACE, 


NKAR    COIiUMBIA    (JOLLEGfi. 


1852. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1851, 

BY  JOSEPH  ADDISON  ALEXANDER, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  of  New  Jersey. 


R.  Craighead,  Prinftr  and  Stereotijpet, 
U'i  FuHon  Street. 


INTRODUCTION. 


■<»  ♦ »» 


The  last  twenty-seven  chapters  of  Isaiah  (xl-lxvi)  form  a 
distinct  and  continuous  discourse,  connected  with  the  former 
part,  and  at  the  same  time  separated  from  it  by  four  chapters 
(xxxvi — xxxix)  almost  entirely  historical.  These  later  Pro- 
phecies of  Isaiah  have  a  character  so  marked  and  so  peculiar 
as  to  call  for  some  additional  preliminary  views  in  the  shape 
of  a  separate  and  special  introduction. 

One  of  the  most  important  functions  of  the  prophetic  office 
was  the  exposition  of  the  Law,  that  is  to  say,  of  the  Mosaic 
institutions,  the  peculiar  form  in  which  the  Church  was  organ- 
ized until  the  advent  of  Messiah.  This  inspired  exposition  was 
of  absolute  necessity,  in  order  to  prevent  or  to  correct  mistakes 
which  were  constantly  arising,  not  only  from  the  blindness  and 
perverseness  of  the  people,  but  from  the  very  nature  of  the  sys- 
tem under  which  they  lived.  That  system,  being  temporary 
and  symbolical,  was  necessarily  material,  ceremonial,  and  re- 
strictive in  its  forms  ;  as  nothing  purely  spiritual  could  be  sym- 
bolical or  typical  of  other  spiritual  things,  nor  could  a  catholic 
or  free  constitution  have  secured  the  necessary  segregation  of 
the  people  from  all  others  for  a  temporary  purpose. 

The  evils  incident  to  such  a  state  of  things  were  the  same 
that  have  occurred  in  many  other  like  ca^es,  and  may  all  be 
derived  from  the  superior  influence  of  sensible  objects  on  the 
mass  of  men,  and  from  the  consequent  propensity  to  lose  sight 
of  the  end  in  the  use  of  the  means,  and  to  confound  the  sign 

VOL.  II. —  1 


2  INTRODUCTION. 

with  the  thing  signified.  The  precise  form  and  degree  of  this 
perversion  no  doubt  varied  with  the  change  of  times  and  circum- 
stances, and  a  corresponding  difference  must  have  existed  iu 
the  action  of  the  Prophets  who  were  called  to  exert  a  corrective 
influence  on  these  abuses. 

In  the  days  of  Hezekiah,  the  national  corruption  had  already- 
passed  through  several  phases,  each  of  which  might  still  be  traced 
in  its  effects,  and  none  of  which  had  wholly  vanished.  Some- 
times the  prevailing  tendency  had  been  to  make  the  ceremonial 
form  of  the  Mosaic  worship,  and  its  consequent  coincidence  in 
certain  points  with  the  religions  of  surrounding  nations,  an 
occasion  or  a  pretext  for  adopting  heathen  rites  and  usages,  at 
first  as  a  mere  extension  and  enlargement  of  the  ritual  itself, 
then  more  boldly  as  an  arbitrary  mixture  of  heterogeneous  ele- 
ments, and  lastly  as  an  open  and  entire  substitution  of  the  false 
for  the  true,  and  of  !Baal,  Ashtoreth,  or  Moloch,  for  Jehovah. 

At  other  times  the  same  corruption  had  assumed  a  less  re- 
volting form  and  been  contented  with  perverting  the  Mosaic 
institutions  while  externally  and  zealously  adhering  to  them. 
The  two  points  from  which  this  insidious  process  of  perversion 
set  out  were  the  nature  and  design  of  the  ceremonial  law,  and 
the  relation  of  the  chosen  people  to  the  rest  of  men.  As  to  the 
first,  it  soon  became  a  current  and  at  last  a  fixed  opinion  with 
the  mass  of  irreligious  Jews,  that  the  ritual  acts  of  the  Mosaic 
service  had  an  intrinsic  efiicacy,  or  a  kind  of  magical  effect  upon 
the  moral  and  spiritual  state  of  the  worshipper.  Against  this 
error  the  Law  itself  had  partially  provided  by  occasional  viola- 
tions and  suspensions  of  its  own  most  rigorous  demands,  plainly 
implying  that  the  rites  were  not  intrinsically  efficacious,  but 
significant  of  something  else.  As  a  single  instance  of  this  gene- 
ral fact  it  may  be  mentioned,  that  although  the  sacrifice  of  life 
is  everywhere  throughout  the  ceremonial  law  presented  as  the 
symbol  of  atonement,  yet  in  certain  cases,  where  the  circum- 
stances of  the  offerer  forbade  an  animal  oblation,  he  was  suffered 


INTRODUCTION.  3 

to  present  one  of  a  vegetable  nature,  even  where  the  service  was 
directly  and  exclusively  expiatory  ;  a  substitution  wholly  in- 
consistent with  the  doctrine  of  an  intrinsic  virtue  or  a  magical 
effect,  but  perfectly  in  harmony  with  that  of  a  symbolical  and 
typical  design,  in  which  the  uniformity  of  the  external  symbol, 
although  rigidly  maintained  in  general,  might  be  dispensed 
with  in  a  rare  and  special  case  without  absurdity  or  inconvenience. 

It  might  easily  be  shown  that  the  same  corrective  was  provi- 
ded by  the  Law  itself  in  its  occasional  departure  from  its  own 
requisitions  as  to  time  and  place  and  the  officiating  person  ;  so 
that  no  analogy  whatever  really  exists  between  the  Levitical 
economy,  even  as  expounded  by  itself,  and  the  ritual  systems 
which  in  later  times  have  been  so  confidently  built  upon  it.  But 
the  single  instance  which  has  been  already  cited  will  suffice  to 
illustrate  the  extent  of  the  perversion  which  at  an  early  period 
had  taken  root  among  the  Jews,  as  to  the  real  nature  and  design 
of  their  ceremonial  services.  The  natural  effect  of  such^  an 
error  on  the  spirit  and  the  morals  is  too  obvious  in  itself,  and 
too  explicitly  recorded  in  the  sacred  history,  to  require  either 
proof  or  illustration. 

On  the  other  great  point,  the  relation  of  the  Jews  to  the 
surrounding  nations,  their  opinions  seem  to  have  become  at  an 
early  period  equally  erroneous.  In  this  as  in  the  other  case, 
they  went  wrong  by  a  superficial  judgment  founded  on  appear-^ 
ances,  by  looking  simply  at  the  means  before  them,  and  neither 
forwards  to  their  end,  nor  backwards  to  their  origin.  From 
the  indisputable  facts  of  Israel's  divine  election  as  the  people 
of  Jehovah,  his  extraordinary  preservation  as  such,  and  his 
undisturbed  exclusive  possession  of  the  written  word  and  the 
accompanying  rites,  they  had  drawn  the  natural  but  false  con- 
clusion, that  this  national  pre-eminence  was  founded  on  intrinsic 
causes,  or  at  least  on  some  original  and  perpetual  distinction 
in  their  favour.  This  led  them  to  repudiate  or  forget  the  fun- 
damental truth  of  their  whole  history,  to  wit,  that  they  were  set 


4  INTRODUCTION. 

apart  and  kept  apart,  not  for  tbe  ruin  and  disgrace,  but  for  the 
ultimate  benefit  and  honour  of  the  whole  world,  or  rather  of  the 
whole  church  which  was  to  be  gathered  from  all  nations,  and 
of  which  the  ancient  Israel  was  designed  to  be  the  symbol  and 
the  representative.  As  it  had  pleased  God  to  elect  a  certain 
portion  of  mankind  to  everlasting  life  through  Christ,  so  it 
pleased  him  that  until  Christ  came,  this  body  of  elect  ones, 
scattered  through  all  lands  and  ages,  should  be  represented  by 
a  single  nation,  and  that  this  representative  body  should  be  the 
sole  depository  of  divine  truth  and  a  divinely  instituted  wor- 
ship ;  while  the  ultimate  design  of  this  arrangement  was  kept 
constantly  in  view  by  the  free  access  which  in  all  ages  was 
afforded  to  the  gentiles  who  consented  to  embrace  the  true 
religion. 

It  is  difficult  indeed  to  understand  how  the  Jews  could  re- 
concile the  immemorial  reception  of  proselytes  from  other  na- 
tions, with  the  dogma  of  national  superiority  and  exclusive  hered- 
itary right  to  the  divine  favour.  The  only  .solution  of  this 
singular  phenomenon  is  furnished  by  continual  recurrence  to 
the  great  representative  principle  on  which  the  Jt;wish  church 
was  organized,  and  which  was  carried  out  not  only  in  the  sepa- 
ration of  the  body  as  a  whole  from  other  men,  but  in  the  inter- 
nal constitution  of  the  body  itself,  and  more  especially  in  the 
separation  of  a  whole  tribe  from  the  rest  of  Israel,  and  of  a  sin- 
gle family  in  that  tribe  from  the  other  Levites,  and  of  a  single 
person  in  that  family,  in  whom  was  finally  concentrated  the 
whole  representation  of  the  Body  on  the  one  hand,  while  on  the 
other  he  was  a  constituted  type  of  the  Head. 

If  the  Jews  could  have  been  made  to  understand  or  to  re- 
member that  their  national  pre-eminence  was  representative, 
not  original ;  symbolical,  not  real ;  provisional,  not  perpetual ; 
it  could  never  have  betrayed  them  into  hatred  or  contempt  of 
other  nations,  but  would  rather  have  cherished  an  enlarged  and 
catholic  spirit,  as  it  did   in   the  most  enlightened,  an   effect 


INTRODUCTION.  6 

which  may  be  clearly  traced  in  the  writiugs  of  Moses,  David, 
and  Isaiah.  That  view  of  the  Mosaic  dispensation  which  re- 
gards this  Jewish  bigotry  as  its  genuine  spirit  is  demonstrably 
a  false  one.  The  true  spirit  of  the  old  economy  was  not  indeed 
a  latitudinarian  indifference  to  its  institutions,  or  a  premature 
anticipation  of  a  state  of  things  still  future.  It  was  scrupu- 
lously faithful  even  to  the  temporary  institutions  of  the  ancient 
church  ;  but  while  it  looked  upon  them  as  obligatory,  it  did  not 
look  upon  them  as  perpetual.  It  obeyed  the  present  requisi- 
tions of  Jehovah,  but  still  looked  forward  to  something  better. 
Hence  the  failure  to  account,  on  any  other  supposition,  for  the 
seeming  contradictions  of  the  Old  Testament,  in  reference  to 
the  ceremonies  of  the  Law.  If  worthless,  why  were  they  so 
conscientiously  observed  by  the  best  and  wisest  men  ?  If  intrin- 
■  sically  valuable,  why  are  they  disparaged  and  almost  repudiated 
by  the  same  men  1  Simply  because  they  were  neither  worthless 
nor  intrinsically  valuable,  but  appointed  temporary  signs  of 
something  to  be  otherwise  revealed  thereafter ;  so  that  it^  was 
equally  impious  and  foolish  to  reject  them  altogether  with  the 
sceptic,  and  to  rest  in  them  forever  with  the  formalist. 

It  is  no  less  true,  and  for  exactly  the  same  reason,  that  the 
genuine  spirit  of  the  old  economy  was  equally  adverse  to  all 
religious  mixture  with  the  heathen  or  renunciation  of  the  Jew- 
ish privileges  on  one  hand,  and  to  all  contracted  national  con- 
ceit and  hatred  of  the  gentiles  on  the  other.  Yet  both  these 
forms  of  error  had  become  fixed  in  the  Jewish  creed  and  char- 
acter long  before  the  days  of  Hezekiah.  That  they  were  not 
universal  even  then,  we  have  abundant  proof  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. Even  in  the  worst  of  times,  there  is  reason  to  believe 
that  a  portion  of  the  people  held  fast  to  the  true  doctrine  and 
the  true  spirit  of  the  extraordinary  system  under  which  they 
lived.  How  large  this  more  enlightened  party  was  at  any  time, 
and  to  how  small  a  remnant  it  was  ever  reduced,  we  have  not 
the  means  of  ascertaining ;  but  we  know  that  it  was  always  iu 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

existence,  and  that  it  constituted  the  true  Israel,  the  real  church 
of  the  Old  Testament. 

To  this  class  the  corruption  of  the  general  body  must  have 
been  a  cause  not  only  of  sorrow  but  of  apprehension  ;  and  if 
express  prophetic  threatenings  had  been  wanting,  they  could 
scarcely  fail  to  anticipate  the  punishment  and  even  the  rejec- 
tion of  tlieir  nation.  But  in  this  anticipation  they  were  them- 
selves liable  to  error.  Their  associations  were  so  intimately 
blended  with  the  institutions  under  which  they  lived,  that  they 
must  have  found  it  hard  to  separate  the  idea  of  Israel  as  a  church 
from  that  of  Israel  as  a  nation  ;  a  difficulty  similar  in  kind, 
however  different  in  degree,  from  that  which  we  experience  in 
forming  a  conception  of  the  continued  existence  of  the  soul 
without  the  body.  And  as  all  men,  in  the  latter  case,  however 
fully  they  may  be  persuaded  of  the  separate  existence  of  the 
spirit  and  of  its  future  disembodied  state,  habitually  speak  of 
it  in  terras  strictly  applicable  only  to  its  present  state  ;  so  the 
ancient  saints,  however  strong  their  faith,  were  under  the  ne- 
cessity of  framing  their  conceptions,  as  to  future  things,  upon 
the  model  of  those  present ;  and  the  imperceptible  extension 
of  this  process  beyond  the  limits  of  necessity  would  naturally 
tend  to  generate  errors  not  of  form  merely  but  of  substance. 
Among  these  we  may  readily  suppose  to  have  had  place  the 
idea  that,  as  Israel  had  been  unfaithful  to  its  trust,  and  was  to 
be  rejected,  the  Church  or  People  of  God  must  as  a  body  share 
the  same  fate ;  or  in  other  words,  that  if  the  national  Israel 
perished,  the  spiritual  Israel  must  perish  with  it,  at  least  so  far 
as  to  be  disorganized  and  resolved  into  its  elements. 

The  same  confusion  of  ideas  still  exists  among  the  uninstruct- 
ed  classes,  and  to  some  extent  among  the  more  enlightened 
also,  in  those  countries  where  the  Church  has  for  ages  been  a 
national  establishment,  and  scarcely  known  in  any  other  form  ; 
as,  for  instance,  in  Sweden  and  Norway  among  Protestants,  or 
in  Spain  and  Portugal  among  Papists.     To  the  most  devout 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

in  such  communities  the  downfall  of  the  hierarchical  establish- 
ment seems  perfectly  identical  with  the  extinction  of  the  church  ; 
and  nothing  but  a  long  course  of  instruction,  and  perhaps  expe- 
rience, could  enable  them  to  form  the  idea  of  a  disembodied 
unestablished  Christian  church.  If  such  mistakes  are  possible 
and  real  even  now,  we  hav^  little  reason  either  to  dispute  their 
existence  or  to  wonder  at  it,  under  the  complicated  forms  and 
in  the  imperfect  light  of  the  Mosaic  dispensation.  It  is  not 
only  credible  but  altogether  natural,  that  even  true  believers, 
unassisted  by  a  special  revelation,  should  have  shunned  the 
extreme  of  looking  upon  Israel's  pre-eminence  among  the  na- 
tions as  original  and  perpetual,  only  by  verging  towards  the 
opposite  error  of  supposing  that  the*  downfall  of  the  nation  would 
involve  the  abolition  of  the  church,  and  human  unbelief  defeat 
the  purposes  and  make  void  the  promises  of  God. 

Here  then  are  several  distinct  but  cognate  forms  of  error, 
which  appear  to  have  gained  currency  among  the  Jews  before 
the  time  of  Hezekiah,  in  relation  to  the  two  great  distinctive 
features  of  their  national  condition,  the  ceremonial  law  and  their 
seclusion  from  the  gentiles.  Upon  each  of  these  points  there 
were  two  shades  of  opinion  entertained  by  very  different  classes. 
The  Mosaic  ceremonies  were  with  some  a  pretext  for  idolatrous 
observances,  while  others  rested  in  them,  not  as  types  or  sym- 
bols, but  as  efficacious  means  of  expiation.  The  pre-eminence 
of  Israel  was  by  some  regarded  as  perpetual,  while  others  ap- 
prehended in  its  termination  the  extinction  of  the  church  itself. 
These  various  forms  of  error  might  be  variously  combined  and 
modified  in  different  cases,  and  their  general  result  must  of 
course  have  contributed  largely  to  determine  the  character  of 
the  church  and  nation. 

It  was  not,  perhaps,  until  these  errors  had  begun  to  take  a 
definite  and  settled  form  among  the  people,  that  the  Prophets, 
who  had  hitherto  confined  themselves  to  oral  instruction  or 
historical  composition,  were  directed  to  utter  and  record  for 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

constant  use  discourses  meant  to  be  corrective  or  condemnatory 
of  these  dangerous  perversions.  This  may  at  least  be  regarded 
as  a  plausible  solution  of  the  fact  that  prophetic  writing  in  the 
strict  sense  became  so  much  more  abundant  in  the  later  days 
of  the  Old  Testament  history.  Of  these  prophetic  writings, 
still  preserved  in  our  canon,  there  is  scarcely  any  part  which 
has  not  a  perceptible  and  direct  bearing  on  the  state  of  feeling 
and  opinion  which  has  been  described.  This  is  emphatically 
true  of  Isaiah's  earlier  prophecies,  which,  though  so  various  in 
form,  are  all  adapted  to  correct  the  errors  in  question,  or  to 
establish  the  antagonistic  truths.  This  general  design  of  the 
predictions  might  be  so  used  as  to  throw  new  light  upon  their 
exposition,  by  connecting  if  more  closely  with  the  prevalent 
errors  of  the  ancient  church  than  was  attempted  in  the  other 
volume.  Guided  even  by  this  vague  suggestion,  an  attentive 
reader  will  be  able  for  the  most  part  to  determine, with  respect 
to  each  successive  portion, whether  it  was  specially  intended  to 
rebuke  idolatry,  to  rectify  the  errors  of  the  formalist  in  reference 
to  the  ceremonial  system,  to  bring  down  the  arrogance  of  a 
mistaken  nationality,  or  to  console  the  true  believer  by  assuring 
him  that  though  the  carnal  Israel  should  perish,  the  true  Israel 
must  endure  forever. 

But  although  this  purpose  may  be  traced,  to  some  extent,  in 
all  the  prophecies,  it  is  natural  to  suppose  that  some  part  of  the 
canon  would  be  occupied  with  a  direct,  extensive,  and  continuous 
exhibition  of  the  truth  upon  a  subject  so  momentous  ;  and  the 
date  of  such  a  prophecy  could  scarcely  be  assigned  to  any  other 
period  so  naturally  as  to  that  which  has  been  specified,  the  reign 
of  Hezekiah,  when  all  the  various  forms  of  error  and  corruption 
which  had  successively  prevailed  were  co-existent,  when  idolatry, 
although  suppressed  by  law,  was  still  openly  or  secretly  prac- 
tised, and  in  many  cases  superseded  only  by  a  hypocritical 
formality  and  ritual  religion,  attended  by  an  overweening  sense 
of  the  national   pre-eminence  of  Israel,  from  which  even  the 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

most  godly  seem  to  have  found  refuge  in  despondent  fears  and 
skeptical  misgivings.  At  such  a  time,-|-when  the  theocracy 
had  long  since  reached  and  passed  its  zenith,  and  a  series  of 
providential  shocks,  with  intervals  of  brief  repose,  had  already 
begun  to  loosen  the  foundations  of  the  old  economy  in  prepara- 
tion for  its  ultimate  removal,-^such  a  discourse  as  that  supposed 
must  have  been  eminently  seasonable,  if  not  absolutely  needed, 
to  rebuke  sin,  correct  error,  and  sustain  the  hopes  of  true  be- 
lievers. It  was  equally  important,  nay,  essential  to  the  great 
end  of  the  temporary  system,  that  the  way  for  its  final  abroga- 
tion should  be  gradually  prepared,  and  that  in  the  meantime  it 
should  be  maintained  in  constant  oj)eration. 

If  the  circumstances  of  the  times  which  have  been  stated  are 
enough  to  make  it  probable  that  such  a  revelation  would  be 
given,  they  will  also  aid  us  in  determining  beforehand,  not  in 
detail  but  in  the  general,  its  form  and  character.  The  histori- 
cal occasion  and  the  end  proposed  would  naturally  lead  us  to 
expect  in  such  a  book  the  simultaneous  or  alternate  presentation 
of  a  few  great  leading-  truths,  perhaps  with  accompanying  refu- 
tation of  the  adverse  errors,  and  with  such  reproofs,  remon- 
strances and  exhortations,  promises  and  threatenings,  as  the 
condition  of  the  people  springing  from  these  errors  might  re- 
quire, not  only  at  the  date  of  the  prediction  but  in  later  times. 
In  executing  this  design  the  Prophet  might  have  been  expected 
to  pursue  a  method  more  rhetorical  than  logical,  and  to  enforce 
his  doctrine  not  so  much  by  dry  didactic  statements  as  by  ani- 
mated argument  combined  with  earnest  exhortation,  passionate 
appeals,  poetical  apostrophes,  impressive  repetitions,  and  illus- 
trations drawn  both  from  the  ancient  and  the  later  history  of 
Israel.  In  fine,  from  what  has  been  already  said,  it  follows  that 
the  doctrines,  which  would  naturally  constitute  the  staple  of  the 
prophecy  in  such  a  case,  are  those  relating  to  the  true  design 
of  Israel's  vocation  and  seclusion  from  the  gentiles,  and  of  the 
ceremonial  institutions  under  which  he  was  in  honourable  bon- 

l* 


\ 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

dage.  The  sins  and  errors  which  find  their  condemnation  in 
the  statement  of  these  truths  are  those  of  actual  idolatry,  a  rit- 
ual formality,  a  blinded  nationality,  and  a  despondent  appre- 
hension of  the  failure  of  Jehovah's  promise.  Such  might  even 
a  priori  be  regarded  as  the  probable  structure  and  complexion 
of  a  prophecy  or  series  of  prophecies  intended  to  secure  the  end 
in  question.  If  the  person  called  to  this  important  service  had 
already  been  the  organ  of  divine  communications  upon  other 
subjects,  or  with  more  direct  reference  to  other  subjects,  it  would 
be  reasonable  to  expect  a  marked  diversity  between  these  former 
prophecies  and  that  uttered  under  a  new  impulse.  Besides  the 
very  great  and  striking  difference  which  must  always  be  per- 
ceptible between  a  series  of  detached  compositions,  varying  and 
possibly  remote  from  one  another  as  to  date,  and  a  continuous 
discourse  on  one  great  theme,  there  would  be  other  unavoidable 
distinctions  springing  directly  from  the  new  and  wide  scope  of 
prophetic  vision,  and  from  the  concentration  in  one  vision  of 
the  elements  diffused  through  many  others.  This  diversity 
would  be  enhanced  by  any  striking  difference  of  outward 
circumstances,  such  as  the  advanced  age  of  the  writer,  his 
matured  experience,  his  seclusion  from  the  world  and  from 
active  life,  or  any  other  changes  which  might  have  the  same 
effect ;  but  even  in  the  absence  of  these  outward  causes,  the 
diversity  would  still  be  very  great  and  unavoi'dable. 

From  these  probabilities  let  us  now  turn  to  realities.  Pre- 
cisely such  a  book  as  that  described  is  extant,  having  formed  a 
part  of  the  collection  of  Isaiah's  Prophecies  as  far  back  as  the 
history  of  the  canon  can  be  traced,  without  the  slightest  vestige 
of  a  different  tradition  among  Jews  or  Christians  as  to  the 
author.  The  tone  and  spirit  of  these  chapters  (xlj — Ixvii)  are 
precisely  such  as  might  have  been  expected  from  the  circum- 
stances under  which  they  are  alleged  to  have  been  written,  and 
their  variations  from  the  earlier  chapters  such  as  must  have 
been  expected  from  the  change  in  the  circumstances  themselves. 


J~- 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

A  cursory  inspection  of  these  later  prophecies  is  enough  to 
satisfy  the  reader  that  he  has  before  him  neither  a  concatenated 
argument  nor  a  mass  of  fragments,  but  a  continuous  discourse  in 
which  the  same  great  topics  are  continually  following  each  other, 
somewhat  modified  in  form  and  combination,  but  essentially  the 
same  from  the  beginning  to  the  end.  If  required  to  designate 
a  single  theme  as  that  of  the  whole  series,  we  might  safely  give 
the  preference  to  Israel,  the  Peculiar  People,  the  Church  of  the 
Old  Testament,  its  origin,  vocation,  mission,  sins  and  sufferings, 
former  experience  and  final  destiny.  The  doctrine  inculcated 
as  to  this  great  subject  may  be  summarily  stated  thus.  The 
race  of  Israel  was  chosen  from  among  the  other  nations,  and 
maintained  in  the  possession  of  peculiar  privileges,  not  for  the 
sake  of  any  original  or  acquired  merit,  but  by  a  sovereign  act 
of  the  divine  will ;  not  for  its  own  exclusive  benefit  and  aggran- 
dizement, but  for  the  ultimate  salvation  of  the  world.  The  j 
ceremonie^  of  the  Law  were  of  no  intrinsic  efficacy,  and  ^when ; 
so  regarded  and  relied  on  became  hateful  in  the  sight  of  God.  j 
Still  more  absurd  and  impious  was  the  practice  of  analogous 
ceremonies,  not  in  obedience  to  Jehovah's  will,  but  in  the  worship 
of  imaginary  deiti'es  or  idols.  The  Levitical  rites,  besides  im- 
mediate uses  of  a  lower  kind,  were  symbols  of  God's  holiness 
and  man's  corruption,  the  necessity  of  expiation  in  general,  and 
of  expiation  by  vicarious  suffering  in  particular.  Among  them 
there  were  also  types,  prophetic  symbols,  of  the  very  form  in 
which  the  great  work  of  atonement  was  to  be  accomplished,  and 
of  Him  by  whom  it  was  to  be  performed.  Until  this  work  was 
finished  and  this  Saviour  come,  the  promise  of  both  was  exclu- 
sively entrusted  to  the  chosen  people,  who  were  bound  to  pre- 
serve it  both  in  its  written  and  its  ritual  form.  To  this  momen- 
tous trust  a  large  part  of  the  nation  had  been  unfaithful,  some 
avowedly  forsaking  it  as  open  idolaters,  some  practically  betray- 
ing it  as  formal  hypocrites.  For  these  and  other  consequent 
offences,  Israel  as  a  nation  was  to  be  rejected  and  deprived  of 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

its  pre-eminence.  But  in  so  doing  God  would  not  cast  off  his 
people.  The  promises  to  Israel,  considered  as  the  people  of 
Jehovah,  should  inure  to  the  body  of  believers,  the  remnant 
according  to  the  election  of  grace.  These  were  in  fact  from  the 
beginning  the  true  Israel,  the  true  seed  of  Abraham,  the  Jews 
who  were  Jews  inwardly.  In  these  the  continued  existence  of 
the  church  should  be  secured  and  perpetuated,  first  within  the 
limits  of  the  outward  Israel,  and  then  by  the  accession  of  be- 
lieving gentiles  to  the  spiritual  Israel.  When  the  fulness  of 
time  should  come  for  the  removal  of  the  temporary  and  restric- 
tive institutions  of  the  old  economy,  that  change  should  be  so 
ordered  as  not  only  to  effect  the  emancipation  of  the  church 
from  ceremonial  bondage,  but  at  the  same  time  to  attest  the 
divine  disapprobation  of  the  sins  committed  by  the  carnal  Israel 
throughout  their  history.  While  these  had  everything  to  fear 
from  the  approaching  change,  the  spiritual  Israel  had  every- 
thing to  hope  ;  not  only  the  continued  existence  of  the  church, 
but  its  existence  under  a  more  spiritual,  free,  and  glorious  dis- 
pensation, to  be  ushered  in  by  tlie  appearance  of  that  great 
Deliverer,  towards  whom  the  ceremonies  of  the  Law  all  pointed. 
From  this  statement  of  the  Prophet's  doctrine,  it  is  easy  to 
account  for  some  peculiarities  of  form  and  phraseology,  particu- 
larly for  the  constant  alternation  of  encouragement  and  threaten- 
ing, and  for  the  twofold  sense  or  rather  application  of  the  national 
name,  Israel.  This  latter  usage  is  explained  by  Paul,  in  his 
Epistle  to  the  Romans  (ch.  2:  17-29.  9:6-9.  II  :  1-7),  where 
the  -very  same  doctrine  is  propounded  in  relation  to  the  ancient 
church  that  we  have  just  obtained  by  a  fair  induction  from 
Isaiah's  later  ])rophecies.  There  is  in  fact  no  part  of  the  Old 
Testament  to  which  the  New  affords  a  more  decisive  key  in  the 
shape  of  an  authoritative  and  inspired  interpretation.  Another 
peculiarity  of  form  highly  important  in  the  exposition  of  these 
Prophecies  is  the  frequent  introduction  of  allusions  to  particular 
events  in  the  history  of  Israel,  as  examples  of  the  general  truths 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

SO  constantly  repeated.  The  events  thus  cited  are  not  nume- 
rous, but  of  the  greatest  magnitude,  such  as  the  calling  of  Abra- 
ham, the  exodus  from  Egypt,  the  destruction  of  Babylon,  the 
return  from  exile,  and  the  advent  of  Messiah. 

The  following  exposition  supposes  the  main  subject  of  these 
Prophecies,  or  rather  of  this  Prophecy,  to  be  the  Church  or 
People  of  God,  considered  in  its  members  and  its  head,  in  its 
design,  its  origin,  its  progress,  its  vicissitudes,  its  consumma- 
tion, in  its  various  relations  to  God  and  to  the  world,  both  as  a 
field  of  battle  and  a  field  of  labour,  an  enemy's  country  to  be 
conquered  and  an  inheritance  to  be  secured.  Within  the  limits 
of  this  general  description  it  is  easy  to  distinguish,  as  alternate 
objects  of  prophetic  vision,  the  two  great  phases  of  the  Church 
on  earth,  its  state  of  bondage  and  its  state  of  freedom,  its  cere- 
'monial  and  its  spiritual  aspect;  in  a  word,  what  we  usually 
call  the  Old  and  New  Economy  or  Dispensation.  Both  are 
continually  set  before  us,  but  with  this  observable  distinction 
in  the  mode  of  presentation,  that  the  first  great  period  is  de- 
scribed by  individual  specific  strokes,  the  second  by  its  outlines 
as  a  definite  yet  undivided  whole.  To  the  great  turning  point 
between  the  two  dispensations  the  prophetic  view  appears  to 
reach  with  clear  discrimination  of  the  intervening  objects,  but 
beyond  that  to  take  all  in  at  a  single  glance.  Within  the 
boundaries  first  mentioned  the  eye  passes  with  a  varied  uni- 
formity from  one  salient  point  to  another ;  but  beyond  them  it 
contemplates  the  end  and  the  beginning,  not  as  distinct  pic- 
tures, but  as  necessary  elements  of  one.  This  difference  might 
naturally  be  expected  in  a  Prophecy  belonging  to  the  Old  Dis- 
pensation, while  in  one  belonging  to  the  New  we  should  as  nat- 
urally look  for  the  same  definiteness  and  minuteness  as  the 
older  prophets  used  in  their  descriptions  of  the  older  times. 

If  this  be  so,  it  throws  a  new  light  on  the  more  specific 
Prophecies  of  this  part  of  Isaiah,  such  as  those  relating  to  the 
Babylonish  Exile ;  which  are  then  to  be  regarded,  not  as  the 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

main  subject  of  tlie  Prophecy,  but  only  as  prominent  figures  in 
the  great  prophetic  picture,  some  of  which  were  to  the  Prophet's 
eye  already  past,  and  some  still  future.  In  this  respect  the 
Prophecy  is  perfectly  in  keeping  with  the  History  of  Israel,  in 
which  the  Exile  or  the  Restoration  stands  conspicuously  forth 
as  one  of  the  great  critical  conjunctures  which  at  distant  inter- 
vals prepared  the  way  for  the  removal  of  the  ancient  system, 
and  yet  secured  its  continued  operation  till  the  time  of  that 
removal  should  arrive.  How  far  the  same  thing  may  be  said 
of  other  periods  which  occupy  a  like  place  in  the  history  of  the 
Jews,  such  as  the  period  of  the  Maccabees,  is  a  question  ren- 
dered doubtful  by  the  silence  of  the  Prophecy  itself,  and  by  the 
absence  of  any  indications  which  are  absolutely  unambiguous. 
The  specific  reference  of  certain  passages  to  this  important  epoch 
has  no  antecedent  probability  against  it  ;  but  we  cannot  with 
the  same  unhesitating  confidence  assert  such  an  allusion  as  we 
can  in  the  case  of  Babylon  and  Cyrus,  which  are  mentioned  so 
expressly  and  repeatedly.  It  may  be  that  historical  discovery, 
the  mai'ch  of  which  has  been  so  rapid  in  our  own  day,  will  en- 
able us,  or  those  who  shall  come  after  us,  to  set  this  question 
finally  at  rest.  In  the  meantime  it  is  safest  to  content  oux*- 
selves  with  carefully  distinguishing  between  the  old  and  new 
economy  as  represented  on  the  Prophet's  canvass,  without  at- 
tempting to  determine  by  conjecture  what  particular  events  are 
predicted  even  in  the  former,  any  further  than  we  have  the  cer- 
tain guidance  of  the  Prophecy  itself 

As  to  a  similar  attempt  in  reference  to  the  New  Dispensa- 
tion, it  is  wholly  inconsistent  with  the  view  which  we  have 
taken  of  the  structure  of  these  Prophecies,  and  which  regards 
them  not  as  particular  descriptions  of  this  or  that  event  in  later 
times,  but  as  a  general  description  of  the  Church  in  its  emanci- 
pated state,  or  of  the  Reign  of  the  Messiah,  not  at  one  time  or 
another,  but  throughout  its  whole  course,  so  that  the  faint  light 
of  the  dawn  is  blended  with  the  glow  of  sunset  and  the  blaze 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

of  noon.  The  form  under  which  the  Reign  of  Christ  is  here 
presented  to  and  by  the  Prophet  is  that  of  a  glorious  emanci- 
pation from  the  bondage  and  the  darkness  of  the  old  economy, 
in  representing  which  he  naturally  dwells  with  more  minute- 
ness upon  that  part  of  the  picture  which  is  nearest  to  himself, 
while  the  rest  is  bathed  in  a  flood  of  light,  to  penetrate  beyond 
which,  or  to  discriminate  the  objects  hid  beneath  its  dazzling 
veil,  formed  no  part  of  this  Prophet's  mission,  but  was  reserved 
for  the  ulterior  revelations  of  the  New  Testament. 

It  is  not  however  merely  to  the  contrast  of  the  two  dispensa- 
tions that  the  Prophet's  eye  is  here  directed.  It  would  indeed 
have  been  impossible  to  bring  this  contrast  clearly  into  view 
without  a  prominent  exhibition  of  the  great  event  by  which  the 
transition  was  eflFeeted,  and  of  the  great  person  who  effected  it. 
That  person  is  the  Servant  of  Jehovah,  elsewhere  spoken  of  as 
his  Anointed  or  Messiah,  and  both  here  and  elsewhere  repre- 
sented as  combining  the  prophetic,  regal,  and  sacerdotal  char- 
acters suggested  by  that  title  The  specific  relation  which  he 
here  sustains  to  the  Israel  of  God,  is  that  of  the  Head  to  a 
living  Body  ;  so  that  in  many  cases  what  is  said  of  him  appears 
to  be  true  wholly  or  in  part  of  them,  as  forming  one  complex 
person,  an  idea  perfectly  accordant  with  the  doctrines  and  the 
images  of  the  New  Testament.  It  appears  to  have  been  first  C~f 
cleatly  stated  in  the  dictum  of  an  ancient  writer  quoted  by 
Augustin :  "  de  Christo  et  Coi-pore  ejus  Ecclesia  tanquam  de 
una  persona  in  Scriptura  saepius  mentionem  fieri,  cui  quaedam 
tribuuntur  quae  tantum  in  Caput,  quaedam  quae  tantum  in 
Corpus  competunt,  quaedam  vero  in  utrumque."  There  is 
nothing  in  these  Prophecies  more  striking  or  peculiar  than  the 
sublime  position  occupied  by  this  colossal  figure,  standing  be-  / 
tween  the  Church  of  the  Old  and  that  of  the  New  Testament,  ( 
as  a  mediator,  an  interpreter,  a  bond  of  union,  and  a  common  ■ 
head. 

If  this  be  a  correct  view  of  the  structure  of  these  prophecies, 


IG  INTRODUCTION. 

nothing  can  be  more  erroneous  or  unfriendly  to  correct  inter- 
pretation than  the  idea,  which  appears  to  form  the  basis  of 
some  expositions,  that  the  primary  object  in  the  Prophet's  view 
is  Israel  as  a  race  or  nation,  and  that  its  spiritual  or  ecclesi- 
astical relations  are  entirely  adventitious  and  subordinate.  The 
natural  result  of  this  erroneous  supposition  is  a  constant  dis- 
position to  give  everything  a  national  and  local  sense.  This  is 
especially  the  case  with  respect  to  the  names  so  frequently  oc- 
curring. Zion,  Jerusalem,  and  Judah  ;  all  which,  according  to 
this  view  of  the  matter,  must  be  understood,  wherever  it  is 
possible,  as  meaning  nothing  more  than  the  hill,  the  city,  and 
the  land,  which  they  originally  designate.  This  error  has  even 
been  pushed  by  some  to  the  irrational  extreme  of  making 
Israel  as  a  race  the  object  of  the  promises,  after  their  entire 
separation  from  the  church  and  their  reduction  for  the  time 
being  to  the  same  position  with  the  sons  of  Ishmael  and  of 
Esau.  That  this  view  should  be  taken  by  the  modern  Jews, 
in  vindication  of  their  own  continued  unbelief,  is  not  so  strange 
as  its  adoption  by  some  Christian  writers,  even  in  direct  oppo- 
sition to  their  own  interpretation  of  former  prophecies,  almost 
identical  in  form  and  substance.  Tbe— spe©ifieatix)ns  of  this 
general  charge  willte  fully  given  in  the  exposition. 

The  claim  of  this  mode  of  interpretation  to  the  praise  of 
strictness  and  exactness  is  a  false  one,  if  the  Israel  of  pro- 
phecy is  not  the  nation  as  such  merely,  but  the  nation  as  the 
temporary  frame-work  of  the  church,  and  if  the  promises  ad- 
dressed to  it,  in  forms  derived  from  this  transitory  state,  were 
nevertheless  meant  to  be  perpetual,  and  must  be  therefore  in- 
dependent of  all  temporary  local  restrictions.  The  true  sense 
of  the  prophecies  in  this  respect  cannot  be  more  strongly  or 
explicitly  set  forth  than  in  the  words  of  the  Apostle,  when  he 
says  that  "  Grod  hath  not  cast  away  his  people  which  he  fore- 
knew ;" — "  Israel  hath  not  obtained  that  which  he  seeketh  for, 
but  the  election  hath  obtained  it  and  the  rest  were  blinded ;" — 


INTRODUCTION.  17 

"  not  as  thoiigli  the  word  of  God  liatli  taken  none  effect,  for 
they  are  not  all  Israel  which  are  of  Israel."    ^K.yiy'V'-^ 

After  carefully  comparing  all  the  methods  of  division  and 
arrangement  which  have  come  to  my  knowledge,  I  am  clearly 
of  opinion  that  in  this  part  of  Scripture,  more  perhaps  than 
any  other,  the  evil  to  be  shunned  is  not  so  much  defect  as  ex- 
cess ;  that  the  book  4s-iTcrtr-€m4j  a  continued  but_a  desultory 
composition  ;  that  although  there  is  a  sensible  progression  in 
the  whole  from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  it  cannot  be  distinctly 
traced  in  every  minor  part,  being  often  interrupted  and  ob- 
scured by  retrocessions  and  resumptions,  which,  though  gov- 
erned by  a  natural  association  in  each  case,  are  not  reducible 
to  rule  or  system.  The  conventional  division  into  chapters, 
viewed  as  a  mechanical  contrivance  for  facilitating  reference,  is 
indispensable,  and  cannot  be  materially  changed  with  any  good 
effect  at  all  proportioned  to  the  inconvenience  and  confusion 
which  would  necessarily  attend  such  a  departure  from  a  usage 
long  established  and  now  universally  familiar.  The  disadvan- 
tages attending  it,  or  springing  from  an  injudicious  use  of  it 
by  readers  and  expounders,  are  the  frequent  separation  of  parts 
which  as  really  cohere  together  as  those  that  afe  combined,  and 
the  conversion  of  one  great  shifting  spectacle,  in  which  the 
scenes  are  constantly  succeeding  one  another  in  a  varied  order, 
into  a  series  of  detached  and  unconnected  pictures,  throwing 
no  light  on  each  other  even  when  most  skilfully  divided,  and 
too  often  exhibiting  a  part  of  one  view  in  absurd  juxtaposition 
with  another  less  akin  to  it  than  that  from  which  it  has  been 
violently  sundered. 

The  most  satisfactory  and  useful  method  of  surveying  the 
whole  book  with  a  view  to  the  detailed  interpretation  of  the 
parts  is,  in  my  opinion,  to  obtain  a  clear  view  of  the  few  great 
themes  with  which  the  writer's  mind  was  filled,  and  of  the 
minor  topics  into  which  they  readily  resolve  themselves,  and 
then  to  mark  their  varied  combinations  as  they  alternately  pre- 


'^A.^^. 


18  INTRODUCTION. 

sent  themselves,  some  more  fully  and  frequently  in  one  part 
of  the  book,  some  exclusively  in  one  part,  others  with  greater 
uniformity  in  all.  The  succession  of  the  prominent  figures 
will  be  pointed  out  as  we  proceed  in  the  interpretation  of  the 
several  chapters.  But  in  order  to  afford  the  reader  every  pre- 
liminary aid  before  attempting  the  detailed  interpretation,  I 
shall  close  this  Introduction  with  a  brief  synopsis  of  the  whole, 
presenting  at  a  single  glance  its  prominent  contents  and  the 
mutual  relation  of  its  parts. 

The  prominent  objects  here  presented  to  the  Prophet's  view 
are  these  five.  1.  The  carnal  Israel,  the  Jewish  nation,  in  its 
proud  self-reliance  and  its  gross  corruption,  whether  idolatrous 
or  only  hypocritical  and  formal.  2.  The  spiritual  Israel,  the 
true  Church,  the  remnant  according  to  the  election  of  grace, 
considered  as  the  object  of  Jehovah's  favour  and  protection 
but  at  the  same  time  as  weak  in  faith  and  apprehensive  of  de- 
struction. 3.  The  Babylonish  Exile  and  the  Restoration  from 
it,  as  the  most  important  intermediate  point  between  the  date 
of  the  prediction  and  the  advent  of  Me.*siah,  and  as  an  earnest 
or  a  sample  of  Jehovah's  future  dealing  with  his  people  both 
in  wrath  and  mercy.  4.  The  Advent  itself,  with  the  person 
and  character  of  Him  who  was  to  come  for  the  deliverance  of 
his  people  not  only  from  eternal  ruin  but  from  temporal  bond- 
age, and  their  introduction  into  "  glorious  liberty."  5.  The 
character  of  this  new  condition  of  the  Church  or  of  the  Chris- 
tian Dispensation,  not  considered  in  its  elements  but  as  a 
whole ;  not  in  the  way  of  chronological  succession,  but  at  one 
view  ;  not  so  much  in  itself,  as  in  contrast  with  the  temporary 
system  that  preceded  it. 

These  are  the  subjects  of  the  Prophet's  whole  discourse,  and 
may  be  described  as  present  to  his  mind  throughout :  but  the 
degree  in  which  they  are  respectively  made  prominent  is  difler- 
ent  in  different  parts.  The  attempts  which  have  been  made  to 
show  that  they  are  taken  up  successively  and   treated  one  by 


INTRODUCTION.  19 

one,  are  unsuccessful,  because  inconsistent  with  thie  frequent 
repetition  and  recurrence  of  the  same  theme.  The  order  is 
not  that  of  strict  succession,  but  of  alternation.  It  is  still 
true,  however,  that  the  relative  prominence  of  these  great 
themes  is  far  from  being  constant.  As  a  general  fact,  it  may- 
be said  that  their  relative  positions  in  this  respect  answer  to 
those  which  they  hold  in  the  enumeration  above  given.  The 
character  of  Israel,  both  as  a  nation  and  a  church,  is  chiefly 
prominent  in  the  beginning,  the  Exile  and  the  Advent  in  the 
middle,  the  contrast  and  the  change  of  dispensations  at  the 
end.  With  this  general  conception  of  the  Prophecy,  the  reader 
can  have  very  little  difficulty  in  perceiving  the  unity  of  the 
discourse,  and  marking  its  transitions  for  himself,  even  without 
the  aid  of  such  an  abstract  as  the  following. 

The  form  in  which  the  Prophecy  begins  is  determined  by 
its  intimate  connection  with  the  threatening  in  the  thirty- 
ninth  chapter.  To  assure  the  Israel  of  God,  or  true  churcH, 
that  the  national  judgments  which  had  been  denounced  should 
not  destroy  it,  is  the  Prophet's  purpose  in  the  fortieth  chapter, 
and  is  executed  by  exhibiting  Jehovah's  power,  and  willing- 
ness and  fixed  determination  to  protect  and  save  his  own  elect. 
In  the  forty-first,  his  power  and  omni.science  are  contrasted  with 
the  impotence  of  idols,  and  illustrated  by  an  individual  ex- 
ample. In  the  forty-second,  the  person  of  the  great  Deliverer 
is  introduced,  the  nature  of  his  influence  described,  the  rela- 
tion of  his  people  to  himself  defined,  and  their  mission  or  voca- 
tion as  enlighteners  of  the  world  explained.  The  forty-third 
completes  this  exposition  by  exhibiting  the  true  design  of 
Israel's  election  as  a  people,  its  entire  independence  of  all  merit 
in  themselves,  and  sole  dependence  on  the  sovereign  will  of 
God.  In  the  forty-fourth  the  argument  against  idolatry^  is 
amplified  and  urged,  and  the  divine  sufficiency  and  faithfulness 
exemplified  by  historical  allusion  to  the  exodus  from  Egypt, 
and  a  prophetic  one  to  the  deliverance  from  Babylon,  in  which 


20  INTRODUCTION. 

last  Cyrus  is  expressly  named.  The  last  part  ot  ttiis  chapter 
should  have  been  connected  with  the  first  part  of  the  forty- 
fifth,  in  which  the  name  of  Cyrus  is  repeated,  and  his  conquests 
represented  as  an  effect  of  God's  omnipotence,  and  the  predic- 
tion as  a  proof  of  his  omniscience,  both  which  attributes  are 
then  again  contrasted  with  the  impotence  and  senselessness  of 
idols.  The  same  comparison  is  still  continued  in  the  forty- 
sixth,  with  special  reference  to  the  false  gods  of  Babylon,  as 
utterly  unable  to  deliver  either  their  worshippers  or  themselves. 
In  the  forty-seventh  the  description  is  extended  to  the  Baby- 
lonian government,  as  wholly  powerless  in  opposition  to  Je- 
hovah's interference  for  the  emancipation  of  his  people.  The 
forty-eighth  contains  the  winding  up  of  this  great  argument 
from  Cyrus  and  the  fall  of  Babylon,  as  a  conviction  and  re- 
buke to  the  unbelieving  Jews  themselves.  The  fact  that 
Babylon  is  expressly  mentioned  only  in  these  chapters,  is  a 
strong  confirmation  of  our  previous  conclusion  that  it  is  not 
the  main  subject  of  the  prophecy.  By  a  natural  transition  he 
reverts  in  the  forty-ninth  to  the  true  Israel,  and  shows  the 
groundlessness  of  their  misgivings,  by  disclosing  God's  design 
respecting  them,  and  showing  the  certainty  of  its  fulfilment 
notwithstanding  all  discouraging  appearances.  The  difference 
in  the  character  and  fate  of  the  two  Israels  is  still  more  exactly 
defined  in  the  fiftieth  chapter.  In  the  fifty-first  the  true  rela- 
tion of  the  chosen  people  both  to  God  and  to  the  gentiles  is 
illustrated  by  historical  examples,  the  calling  of  Abraham  and 
the  exodus  from  Egypt,  and  the  same  power  pledged  for  the 
safety  of  Israel  in  time  to  come.  In  the  last  part  of  this  chap- 
ter and  the  first  of  the  fifty-second,  which  cohere  in  the  most 
intimate  manner,  the  gracious  purposes  of  God  are  represented 
as  fulfilled  already,  and  described  in  the  most  animating  terms. 
This  view  of  the  future  condition  of  the  church  could  not  be 
separated  long  from  that  of  Him  by  whom  it  was  to  be  efi"ected  ; 
and  accordingly  the  last  part  of  tliis  chapter,  forming  one  un- 


INTRODUCTION.  21 

broken  context  with  the  fifty-third,  exhibits  him  anew,  no 
longer  as  a  teacher,  but  as  the  great  sacrifice  for  sin.  No 
sooner  is  this  great  work  finished  than  the  best  days  of  the 
church  begin,  the  loss  of  national  distinction  being  really  a 
prelude  to  her  glorious  emancipation.  The  promise  of  this 
great  change  in  the  fifty-fourth  chapterj-is  followed  in  the  fifty- 
fifth  by  a  gracious  invitation  to  the  whole  world  to  partake  of  it. 
The  fifty-sixth  continues  the  same  subject,  by  predicting  the 
entire  abrogation  of  all  local,  personal,  and  national  distinc- 
tions. Having  dwelt  so  long  upon  the  prospects  of  the  spiritual 
Israel  or  true  church,  the  Prophet,  in  the  last  part  of  the  fifty- 
sixth  and  the  first  part  of  the  fifty-seventh,  looks  back  at  the 
carnal  Israel,  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  its  idolatrous  apostasy, 
and  closes  with  a  threatening  which  insensibly  melts  into  a 
promise  of  salvation  to  the  true  Israel.  The  fifty-eighth  again 
presents  the  carnal  Israel,  not  as  idolaters  but  as  hypocrites, 
and  points  out  the  true  mean  between  the  rejection  of  ap- 
pointed rites  and  the  abuse  of  them.  The  fifty-ninth  explains 
Jehovah's  dealings  with  the  nation  of  the  Jews,  and  shows  that 
their  rejection  was  the  fruit  of  their  own  doings,  as  the  salva- 
tion of  the  saved  was  that  of  God's  omnipotent  compassions. 
In  the  sixtieth  he  turns  once  more  to  the  true  Israel,  and 
begins  a  series  of  magnificent  descriptions  of  the  new  dispen- 
sation as  a  whole,  contrasted  with  the  imperfections  and  restric- 
tions of  the  old.  The  prominent  figures  of  the  picture  in  this 
chapter  are  immense  increase  by  the  accession  of  the  gentiles, 
and  internal  purity  and  peace.  The  prominent  figure  in  the 
sixty-first  is  that  of  the  Messiah  as  the  agent  in  this  great 
work  of  spiritual  emancipation.  In  the  sixty-second  it  is  that 
of  Zion,  or  the  Church  herself,  in  the  most  intimate  union  with 
Jehovah  and  the  full  fruition  of  his  favour.  But  this  anticipa- 
tion is  inseparably  blended  with  that  of  vengeance  on  the  ene- 
mies of  God,  which  is  accordingly  presented  in  the  sublime 
vision  of  the  sixty-third  chapter,  followed  by  an  appeal  to  God's 


22  INTRODUCTION. 

former  dealings  wltli  his  people,  as  a  proof  that  their  rejection 
was  their  own  fault,  and  that  he  will  still  protect  the  true  be- 
lievers. These  are  represented  in  the  sixty-fourth  as  humbly 
confessing  their  own  sins  and  suing  for  the  favour  of  Jehovah. 
In  the  sixty-fifth  he  solemnly  announces  the  adoption  of  the 
gentiles  and  the  rejection  of  the  carnal  Israel  because  of  their 
iniquities,  among  which  idolatry  is  once  more  rendered  promi- 
nent. He  then  contrasts  the  doom  of  the  apostate  Israel  with 
the  glorious  destiny  awaiting  the  true  Israel.  And  this  com- 
parison is  still  continued  in  the  sixty-sixth  chapter,  where  the 
Prophet,  after  ranging  through  so  wide  a  field  of  vision,  seems 
at  last  to  fix  his  own  eye  and  his  reader's  on  the  dividing  line 
or  turning  point  between  the  old  and  new  economy,  and  winds 
up  the  whole  drama  with  a  vivid  exhibition  of  the  nations 
gathered  to  Jerusalem  for  worship,  while  the  children  of  the 
kingdom,  i.  e.  Israel  according  to  the  flesh,  are  cast  forth  into 
outer  darkness,  where  their  worm  dieth  not  and  their  fire  is  not 
quenched.  Upon  this  awful  spectacle  the  curtain  falls,  and  we 
are  left  to  find  relief  from  its  impressions  in  the  merciful  dis- 
closures of  a  later  and  more  cheering  revelation. 


CHAPTER    XXXVI. 


The  next  four  chapters  contain  a  historical  appendix  to  the 
first  part  of  Isaiah's  prophecies,  which  is  at  the  same  time  a 
historical  preface  to  the  last  part.  The  principal  topics  are 
Sennacherib's  invasion  and  the  slaughter  of  his  host,  Hezekiah's 
sickness  and  miraculous  recovery,  and  the  intercourse  between 
him  and  the  king  of  Babylon.  The  same  narrative  is  found 
substantially  in  the  second  book  of  Kings  (ch.  xviii-xx),  ar^d  a 
different  account  of  the  same  matters  in  the  second  book  of 
Chronicles  (ch.  xxxn).  From  the  strong  resemblance  of  the 
passages,  and  the  impossibility  of  fixing  upon  either  as  the  more 
ancient  and  authentic  of  the  two,  the  natural  inference  would 
seem  to  be,  that  they  are  different  draughts  or  copies  of  the 
same  composition,  or  at  least  that  they  are  both  the  work  of  the 
same  writer,  and  that  this  writer  iS  Isaiah.  That  the  prophets 
often  acted  as  historiographers,  and  that  Isaiah  in  particular 
discharged  this  ofiice,  are  recorded  facts.  Nothing  can  be  more 
natural,  therefore,  than  the  supposition  that  he  inserted  the 
same  narrative  in  one  book  as  a  part  of  the  chronicle  of  Judah, 
and  in  the  other  as  an  illustrative  appendix  to  his  earlier  pro- 
phecies. As  to  the  variations  of  the  two  from  one  another, 
they  are  precisely  such  as  might  ha's^e  been  expected  in  the 
case  supposed,  that  is  to  say,  in  the  ease  of  the  same  writer 
twice  recording  the  same  facts,  especially  if  we  assume  an 
interval  between  the  acts,  and  a  more  specific  purpose  in  the 


24  CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

one  case  than  the  other.  It  must  also  he  considered  that  on 
this  hypothesis,  the  writer  expected  both  accounts  to  be  within 
the  reach  of  the  same  readers,  and  might  therefore  leave  them 
to  illustrate  and  complete  each  other.  That  there  is  nothing 
in  these  variations  to  forbid  the  supposition  of  their  being  from 
the  same  pen,  is  evinced  by  the  circumstance  that  each  of  the 
parallels  has  been  declared,  for  similar  reasons  and  with  equal 
confidence,  to  be  a  transcript  of  the  other.  The  specific  end, 
for  which  the  narrative  is  here  recorded,  appears  to  be  that  of 
showing  the  fulfilment  of  certain  prophecies  which  had  relation 
to  a  proximate  futurity,  and  thereby  gaining  credence  and 
authority  for  those  which  had  a  wider  scope  and  a  remoter 
consummation. 

1.  And  it  was  (or  came  to  pass)  in  the  fourteenth  year  of  the  king 
Hczekiah^  Sennacherib  king  of  Assyria  caine  up  against  all  the 
fenced  (or  fortified')  cities  of  Judah^  and  took  them.  The  parallel 
passage  in  Kings  is  immediately  preceded  by  a  summary  account 
of  the  earlier  events  of  Hezekiah's  reign,  with  particular  men- 
tion of  his  religious  reformations  and  his  extirpation  of  idolatry, 
to  which  is  added  an  account  of  the  deportation  of  the  ten  tribes 
by  Shalmaneser  (2  Kings  IS  :  1-12).  This  visitation  is  referred 
to  the  apostasy  of  Israel  as  its  meritorious  cause,  and  contrasted 
with  the  favour  of  the  Lord'to  Hezekiah  as  a  faithful  servant. 
While  Ephraim  was  carried  away  never  to  return,  Juduh  was 
only  subjected  to  a  temporary  chastisement,  the  record  of  which 
follows.  Sennacherib  is  mentioned,  under  nearly  the  same 
name,  by  Herodotus,  who  calls  him  the  king  of  Assyria  and 
Arabia.  This  may  either  be  accounted  for,  as  an  example  of 
the  loose  geographical  distinctions  of  the  ancient  writers,  or  as 
implying  that  the  Assyrian  conquests  really  included  certain 
portions  of  Arabia.  Between  this  verse  and  the  next,  as  they 
stand  in  Isaiah,  the  narrative  in  Kings  inserts  three  others, 
which  relate  what  immediately  followed  the  invasion  of  the 


CHAPTER   XXXVI.  25 

country  and  preceded  the  attack  upon  Jerusalem.  The  sub- 
stance of  this  statement  is  that  Hezekiah  sent  to  Sennacherib 
at  Lachish,  saying,  I  have  offended  (i  e.  in  renouncing  his 
allegiance  to  Assyria),  return  from  me,  that  which  thou  puttest 
on  me  I  will  bear ;  that  Sennacherib  accordingly  imposed  a 
tribute  of  three  hundred  talents  of  silver  and  thirty  of  gold,  to 
pay  which  Hezekiah  gave  him  all  the  treasures  of  the  palace 
and  the  temple,  not  excepting  the  metallic  decorations  of  the 
doors  and  pillars  (2  Kings  18:14-16).  There  is  nothing,  either 
in  the  case  before  us,  or  in  the  general  analogy  of  Scripture,  to 
forbid  the  supposition,  that  the  narrative  was  intended  to  ex- 
hibit the  weakness  no  less  than  the  strength  of  Hezekiah's  faith, 
in  which  case  there  is  no  need  of  laboriously  vindicating  all  his 
acts  as  perfectly  consistent  with  a  strong  and  lively  faith,  al- 
thouo-h  his  general  sincerity  and  godliness  cannot  be  questioned. 
Another  addition  to  the  narrative  is  found  in  the  second  book 
of  Chronicles  (32 :  1-8),  where  we  read  that  Hezekiah,  when  he 
saw  that  Sennacherib  was  come,  and  that  his  face  was  toward^ 
Jerusalem  for  war,  took  measures  to  strengthen  the  defences  of 
the  city,  and  to  cut  off  the  supply  of  water  from  the  enemy, 
while  at  the  same  time  he  encouraged  the  people  to  rely  upon 
Jehovab  and  not  to  be  afraid  of  the  Assyrian  host  All  this  is 
spoken  of  as  having  taken  place  before  what  is  recorded  in  the 
next  verse  of  the  chapter  now  before  us.  If  we  suppose  it  to 
have  followed  Hezekiah's  message  to  Sennacherib  and  payment 
of  the  tribute,  the  inference  would  seem  to  be  that  the  invader, 
having  received  the  money,  still  appeared  disposed  to  march 
upon  the  Holy  City,  whereupon  the  king  abandoned  all  hope  of 
conciliation,  and  threw  himself  without  reserve  on  the  divine 
protection. 

2.  And  the  king  of  Assyria  sent  Rahshakeh  from  Lachish  to 
Jerusalem,  to  king  Hezekiah,  with  a,  strong  force,  and  he  stood  by 
the  conduit  (or  aqueduct)  of  the  upper  pool,  in  the  highway  of  the 

VOL. 11.    2 


26  CHAPTER   XXXVI. 

fuller's  field.  Besides  Rabshakeh,  the  narrative  in  Kings  men-  • 
tions  Tartan  and  Rabsaris  ;  that  in  Chronicles  uses  the  general 
expression  his  servants.  Rabshakt^h  may  be  named  alone  here 
as  the  chief  speaker,  or  as  the  commander  of  the  expedition. 
The  Jews  have  a  tradition  that  he  was  a  renegado  or  apostate 
Jew.  Others  account  for  his  knowledge  of  Hebrew  by  suppos- 
ing him  to  have  acquired  it  by  intercourse  with  captives  of  the 
ten  tribes.  Lachish  was  a  town  of  Judah  south-west  of  Jerusa- 
lem on  the  way  to  Egypt.  This  place  Sennacherib  was  now 
besieging  (2  Chron.  32 : 9),  and  being  probably  detained  longer 
than  he  had  expected,  he  detached  a  part  of  his  forces  to  attack 
Jerusalem,  or  rather  to  summon  Hezekiah  to  surrender.  That 
the  main  body  of  the  army  afterwards  advanced  against  Jeru- 
salem is  nowhere  explicitly  recorded,  although  some  infer  from 
ch,  10:28-32  that  they  did  so,  making  a  circuit  to  the  north 
for  the  purpose  of  surprising  the  city.  It  is  said  in  Chronicles 
that  Sennacherib  was  now  before  Lachish.,  in  the  military  sense, 
i.  6.  besieging  it,  with  all  his  force,  which  some  explain  to  mean 
with  a  large  part  of  it,  others  loith  his  court  and  the  usual  accom- 
paniments of  an  eastern  camp,  in  order  to  remove  a  supposed 
inconsistency  with  what  is  here  said.  But  the  phrase  in  Chron- 
icles relates  to  the  Assyrian  force  at  Lachish  before  Rabshakeh 
was  detached,  and  is  inserted  merely  to  explain  the  statement 
that  he  came  from  Lachish,  because  Sennacherib  had  halted 
there  with  all  his  army.  The  verb  may  also  be  referred  to  the 
halt  of  Rabshakeh's  detachment,  or  to  the  position  which  they 
took  up  on  arriving ;  but  it  is  simpler  to  refer  it  to  the  spot  on 
which  Rabshakeh  himself  stood  during  the  interview  about  to 
be  described.  The  spot  was  doubtless  one  of  great  resort  For 
the  localities  here  mentioned,  see  the  notes  on  ch.  7:3  and  22: 
9-11. 

3.    Then  came  forth  unto  him  Eliakim,  Hilkiah's  son,  icho  was 
aver  the  house,  and  Shebna  the  scribe,  aiid  Joah,  Asaph's  son,  the 


CHAPTER   XXXVI.  27 

recorder.  The  parallel  narrative  (2  Kings  18:  18)  prefixes  to 
this  verse  a  statement  that  he  called  to  (or  for)  the  kbur  in  an- 
swer to  which  summons  these  three  ministers  came  out.  Elia- 
kim  here  appears  as  Shebua's  successor,  according  to  the  pro- 
phecy in  ch.  22 :  20,  and  Shebna  himself  as  an  inferior  office- 
bearer. Interpreters  have  amused  themselves  with  trying  to 
discover  equivalents  in  modern  parlance  for  these  three  official 
titles,  such  as  chamberlain,  steward,  majordomo,  secretary,  mas- 
ter of  requests,  master  of  the  rolls,  historiographer,  etc.  It  is 
enough  to  know  that  they  probably  denote  three  principal  offi- 
cers of  state,  or  of  the  royal  household,  which  in  oriental  govern- 
ments is  very  much  the  same  thing. 

4.  Aiid  Rabshakeh  said  to  them :  Say  now  (or  if  you  please)  to 
HezeMah.,  thus  saith  the  great  king,  the  king  of  Assyria,  What  is 
this  co7ifidence  which  thou  confidest  in  ?  He  expresses  his  contempt 
by  withholding  the  name  of  king  from  Hezekiah  and  callings  his 
own  master  the  great  king,  a  common  title  of  the  Persian  and 
other  oriental  monarchs,  corresponding  to  Grand  Seignior 
Grand  Monarque,  and  Emperor,  as  a  distinctive  royal  title. 
The  interrogation  in  the  last  clause  implies  surprise  and  scorn 
at  a  reliance  so  unfounded.  'Confide  and  confidence  sustain  the 
same  etymological  relation  to  each  other  as  the  Hebrew  noun 
and  verb. 

5.  I  say  (or  have  said),  only  word  of  lips,  counsel  and  strength 
for  the  war;  now  on  xolwm  hast  thou  confided,  that  thou  hast  re- 
belled agamst  me?  The  parallel  passage  in  Kings  has  thou  hast 
said,  which  Lowth  assumes  to  be  the  true  text  here,  while  others 
treat  the  common  reading  as  an  error  of  the  writer  or  abridger. 
The  truth  no  doubt  is  that  both  the  readings  are  original,  since 
both  may  be  so  explained  as  to  express  the  same  idea.  The 
simplest  construction  of  what  follows  is :  I  say,  mere  word  of  lips 
is  (your)  counsel  and  strength  for  the  war,  i.  e.  your  pretended 


28  CHAPTER    XXXVI. 

strength  and  wisdom  are  mere  talk,  false  pretension.  The  allu- 
sion is  not  so  much  to  Hezekiah's  prayers  as  to  his  addresses 
to  the  people;  recorded  in  2  Chr.  32 :  6-8.  The  sense  of  the 
other  passage  (2  Kings  18  :  20)  seems  to  be,  thou,  hast  said  (to 
thyself,  or  thought,  that)  ■mere  talk  is  counsel  and  strength  for  the 
loar.  The  contemptuous  import  of  word  of  lips,  is  apparent 
from  Prov.  14  :  23.  The  rebellion  mentioned  in  the  last  clause 
is  Hezekiah's  casting  oft"  the  Assyrian  yoke  (2  Kings  18:  7). 

6.  Behold,  thou  hast  trusted  in  the  staff  (or  support)  of  this  broken 
reed,  in  Egypt,  which,  {if)  a  man  Lean  upon  it,  will  go  info  his 
hand  and  jnerce  it ;  so  is  Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt  to  all  those  trust- 
ing in  him.  He  answers  his  own  question.  The  charge  of 
relying  upon  Egypt  may  be  regarded  either  as  a  true  one,  or 
as  a  malicious  fabrication,  or  as  a  mere  inference  fi'om  the  anal- 
ogy of  other  cases  aud  the  habitual  relation  of  the  parties. 
Egypt  may  be  called  a  broken  reed,  either  as  being  always 
weak,  or  in  allusion  to  what  it  had  already  suifered  from  Assy- 
ria. Broken  does  not  mean  entirely  divided,  but  so  bruised  or 
shattered  as  to  yield  no  firm  support  but  rather  to  do  injury. 
(See  ch.  42  :  3  below.) 

• 

7.  And  if  thou  say  to  me,  we  trust  in  Jehovah  our  God,is  it  not 
he  whose  high  places  and  ivhose  altars  Hezekiah  hath  taken  away, 
and  said  to  Judah  and  to  Jerusalem,  before  this  altar  shall  ye  wor- 
ship ?  Rabshakeh's  question  evidently  refers  to  Hezekiah's 
reformation  of  religious  worship  (2  Kings  18:4),  which  he 
erroneously  regarded  as  a  change  of  the  national  religion. 

8.  And  noio,  engage,  I  pray  the^^,  icilh  my  lord,  the  king  of 
Assyria,  and  I  will  give  thee  two  thousand  horses,  if  thou  be  able 
on  thy  part  to  set  riders  upon  them.  A  contemptuous  comparison 
between  the  Jews,  who  were  almost  destitute  of  cavalry,  and  the 
Assyrians,  who  were  strong  in  that  species  of  force  (ch.  5  :  28). 


CHAPTER    XXXVI.  29 

Whether  the  first  verb  refers  to  fight  or  to  negotiation,  must 
be  determined  by  the  context. 

9.  And  how  wilt  thou  turn  axoay  the  face  of  one  governor  (or 
satrap)  of  the  least  of  my  master's  servants  ?  So  thou  hast  reposed 
thyself  on  Egypt ^  with  respect  to  chariots  a?id  horses.  As  a  man 
is  said  to  turn  his  face  towards  an  object  of  attack,  so  the  latter 
may  be  said  to  turn  back  (or  away)  the  face  of  his  assailant 
when  he  repels  him.  The  last  clause  is  an  inference  from  the 
first,  as  the  first  is  from  the  foregoing  verse.  If  Hezekiah 
could  not  command  two  thousand  horsemen,  he  was  unprepared 
to  resist  even  a  detachment  of  the  Assyrian  force  ;  and  if  thus 
helpless,  he  must  be  trusting,  not  in  his  own  resources,  but  in 
foreign  aid. 

10.  And  now  (is  it)  loithout  Jehovah  I  have  come  up  against  this 
land  to  destroy  it  ?  Jehovah  said  to  me,  go  up  to  (or  against),  this 
land  and  destroy  it.  This  is  a  bold  attempt  to  terrify  the  Jews 
by  pleading  the  authority  of  their  own  tutelary  deity  for  this 
invasion. 

11.  Thc7i  said  Eliakim  and  Shchna  and  Joahunto  Rabshakehj 
Pray  speak  unto  thy  servants  in  Aramean,  for  we  mider stand  (it)^ 
and  speak  not  to  us  in  .J-ivish,  in  the  cars  of  the  people  tvho  (arc) 
on  the  wall.  This  request  implies  an  apprehension  of  the  bad 
effect  of  his  address  upon  the  multitude.  Aramean  corresponds 
very  nearly  to  Syrian  in  latitude  of  meaning  ;  but  the  language 
meant  is  not  what  we  call  Syrian,  but  an  older  form,  which  was 
probably  current,  as  the  French  is  now,  at  the  courts  and  among 
the  educated  classes  of  an  extensive  region.  Jeioish  is  H'brew, 
so  called  by  the  Jews,  as  the  language  of  the  whole  British 
empire  is  called  English,  or  as  German  is  sometimes  called 
Saxon.  The  use  of  this  term  here  is  urged  by  some  as  a  proof 
of  later  date  than  the  time  of  Isaiah,  on  the  ground  that  the 


30  CHAPTER   XXXVI. 

distinctive  name  Jewish  could  not  have  been  common  till  long 
after  the  destruction  of  the  kingdom  of  the  ten  tribes,  which 
left  Judah  the  only  representative  of  Israel.  But  how  long 
after  this  event  may  we  assume  that  such  a  usage  became 
common  ?  The  ten  tribes  were  carried  into  exile  by  Sennache- 
rib's father,  if  not  by  his  grandfather.  It  is  altogether  probable 
that  from  the  time  of  the  great  schism  between  Ephraim  and 
Judah,  the  latter  began  to  call  the  national  language  by  its  own 
distinctive  name.  At  the  period  in  question,  such  a  designation 
was  certainly  more  natural,  in  the  mouths  of  Jews,  than  Israel- 
itish  or  even  Hebrew.  We  understand^  literally,  we  [are)  hearing, 
i.  e.  hearing  distinctly  and  intelligently. 

12.  And  Rabshakeh  said:  Is  it  to  thy  master  and  to  thee,  that 
my  master  hath  sent  me  to  speak  these  words  1  Is  it  not  to  the  men 
sitting  on  the  wall  to  eat  their  own  dung  and  to  drink  their  own 
water  with  you  ?  The  last  clause  is  obviously  descriptive  of  the 
horrors  of  famine  in  their  most  revolting  form.  The  same  idea 
is  conveyed  still  more  distinctly  in  Chronicles :  tohcreon  do  ye 
trust  that  ye  abide  in  the  fortress  of  Jerusalem  1  doth  not  Hezekiah 
persuade  you  to  give  over  yourselves  to  die  by  famine  ajid  by  thirst, 
saying,  the  Lord  our  God  shall  deliver  us  out  of  the  hand  of  the 
king  of  Assyria?  (2  Chr.  32:  10,  11).  So  here  the  people  are 
described  as  sitting  on  the  wall,  i.  e.  holding  out  against  Sen- 
nacherib, only  that  they  may  experience  these  horrors. 

13.  And  Rabshakeh  stood,  and  called  with  a  loud  voice  in  Jew- 
ish (i.  e.  Hebrew),  and  said.  Hear  the  words  of  the  great  king,  the 
king  of  Assyria.  In  so  doing  he  not  only  testified  his  contempt 
for  the  king's  messengers  by  insolently  disregarding  their  re- 
quest, but  made  a  politic  appeal  to  the  hopes  and  fears  of  the 
multitude.  That  he  stood  and  called,  is  explained  by  some  to 
mean  that  he  assumed  a  higher  position,  or  came  nearer  to  the 


CHAPTER    XXXVL  31 

wall ;  but  the  simplest  and  most  natural  explanation  is,  that  he 
remained  where  he  was  before  and  merely  raised  his  voice. 

1 4.  Thus  saith  the  king :  let  not  Hezekiah  deceive  you^  for  he 
%t}ill  not  be  able  to  deliver  you.  The  repeated  mention  of  the  kinc 
reminds  them,  that  he  is  not  speaking  in  his  own  name,  but  in 
that  of  a  great  monarch.  The  parallel  passage  (2  Kings  18: 
29)  adds,  out  of  his  hand. 

15.  And  let  not  Hezekiali  make  you  trust  in  Jehovah^  saying^ 
Jehovah- will  certainly  save  us,  this  city  shall  not  be  given  up  into 
the  hand  of  the  king  of  Assyria.  The  idea  of  ceiiain  deliverance 
is  expressed  by  the  idiomatic  combination  of  the  future  and 
infinitive. 

16.  Hearken  not  to  Hezekiah.,  for  thus  saith  the  king  of  Assyria, 
make  toiih  me  a  blessing,  and  come  out  unto  me,  and  eat  ye  (every) 
mo.n  his  own  vine  and  {every)  man  his  own  fig-tree,  and  drink  ye 
(evrry)  man  the  waters  of  his  own  cistern.  Some  explain  the 
phrase  here  used,  make  me  a  present,  or  make  an  agreement  with 
me  by  a  prcsc7it.  It  is  possible,  however,  to  adhere  more  closely 
to  the  usage  of  the  term,  by  taking  blessing  in  the  sense  of 
friendly  salutation,  which  in  the  east  is  commonly  an  invoca- 
tion of  the  divine  blessing.  Thus  the  verb  to  bless  is  often  used 
to  express  the  act  of  greeting  or  of  taking  leave.  To  make  a 
blessing  with  one  then  might  mean  to  enter  into  amicable  inter- 
course. To  co7ne  out  is  in  Hebrew  the  common  military  phrase 
for  the  surrender  of  a  besieged  town.  The  inducements  oflFered 
in  the  last  clause  are  in  obvious  antithesis  to  the  revolting  threat 
or  warning  in  the  last  clause  of  v.  12.  To  eat  the  vine  and  fig- 
tree  (meaning  to  eat  their  fruit)  is  an  elliptical  form  of  speech, 
which  has  its  analogies  in  every  language. 

17.  Until  I  come  and  take  vou  aw  an  to  a  land  like  i/our  own, 


32  CHAPTER    XXXVI. 

land^  a  land  of  corn  and  wine,  a  land  of  bread  andviwyards.  The 
parallel  passage  (2  Kings  18  :  32)  adds,  a  land  of  oil-olivf  and 
honey,  that  ye  may  live  and  not  die.  This  reference  to  the  depor- 
tation of  the  people  as  a  future  event  has  led  some  interpreters 
to  the  conclusion,  that  Sennacherib  was  now  on  his  way  to  Egypt, 
and  deferred  the  measure  until  his  return.  It  has  been  di.s- 
puted  what  particular  land  is  here  meant,  some  saying  Mesopo- 
tamia, to  which  others  object  that  it  was  not  a  wine-growing 
country.  But  there  is  no  need  of  supposing  that  the  Assyriati  's 
description  was  exactly  true.  He  may  indeed  have  intended 
merely  to  promise  them  in  general  a  country  as  abundant  as 
their  own. 

18.  Ld  not  (or  beioare  lest)  Hczckiah  seduce  yon,  saying,  Jeho- 
vah will  deliver  us.  Have  the  gods  of  the  nations  delivered  every 
one  his  land  out  of  the  hand  of  the  king  of  Assyria  ?  The  Assyrian 
here,  with  characteristic  recklessness,  forsakes  his  previous  po- 
sition, that  he  was  but  acting  as  Jehovah's  instrument,  and  sets 
himself  in  disdainful  opposition  to  Jehovah  himself 

19.  Wlun'c  [ar  )  the  gods  of  Hamath  and  Arpad  ?  where  the  gods 
of  Scpharvaim  ?  and  (when  or  where  was  it)  that  they  delivered 
Samaria  out  of  my  hand  1  In  the  rapidity  of  his  triumphant 
interrogation,  he  expresses  himself  darkly  and  imperfectly. 
The  last  clause  must  of  course  refer  to  the  gods  of  Samaria, 
though  not  expressly  mentioned.  For  the  situation  of  Hamath 
and  Arpad,  see  the  note  on  cli.  10:9.  Sepharvaim  is  probably 
the  Sipphara  of  Ptolemy,  a  town  and  province  in  the  south  of 
Mesopotamia,  already  subject  to  Assyria  in  the  days  of  Shal- 
maneser.  The  parallel  passage  (2  Kings  18:34)  adds  Hena 
and  Imiah,  which  are  also  named  with  Sepharvaim  in  2  Kings 
19  :  13  and  Isai.  37  :  13.  The  question  {where  are  they?)  seems 
to  imply,  not  only  that  they  had  not  saved  their  worshippers, 
but  that  they  had  ceased  to  be. 


CHAPTER    XXXVI.  33 

20,  Who  (are  they)  among  all  the  gods  of  these  lands^  that  have 
delivered  their  land  out  of  my  hand^  that  Jehovah  should  deliver 
Jerusalem  out  of  my  hand?  In  this  argumentative  interrogation, 
he  puts  Jehovah  on  a  level  with  the  gods  of  the  surrounding 
nations.  This  is  still  more  frequently  and  pointedly  expressed 
in  the  parallel  passage  in  Chronicles.  Know  ye  not  lohat  I  and 
my  fathers  have  done  unto  all  the  ?iatio7is  of  the  countries  ?  Were 
the  gods  of  the  nations  of  the  countries  able  to  deliver  their  country 
out  of  my  hand  ?  Who  was  there  among  all  the  gods  of  these  na- 
tions^ which  my  fathers  utterly  destroyed^  that  %cas  able  to  deliver 
his  people  out  of  my  hand^  that  your  God  should  be  able  to  deliver 
you,  out  of  my  hand  ?  And  71010,  let  not  Uezekiah  deceive  you,  a?id 
let  him  not  seduce  you,  neither  believe  him;  for  no  god  of  any  nation 
or  kingdom  has  been  able  to  deliver  his  jjcople  out  of  my  hand,  and 
out  of  the  hand  of  my  fathers  ;  how  much  less  shall  your  God  de- 
liver you  out  of  my  hand.  (2  Chron.  32:  13-15.)  From  the 
same  authority  we  learn  that  over  and  above  what  is  recor(^ed, 
Sennacherib's  servants  spake  still  more  against  the  God  Jehovah 
and  against  Uezekiah  his  servant  (v.  16),  and  that  they  cried  with 
a  loud  voice  in  the  Jewish  language,  to  the  people  of  Jerusalem  who 
were  on  the  wall,  to  affright  them,  and  to  trouble  them,  that  they 
might  take  the  city ;  and  they  spake  against  the  God  of  Jerusalem 
as  against  the  gods  of  the  nations  of  the  earth,  the  work  of  man\s 
hands  (vs.  18,  19.) 

2 1 ,  22.  And  they  held  their  peace,  and  did  not  answer  him  a  word, 
for  such  tvas  the  commandment  of  the  king,  saying.  Ye  shall  not 
answer  him.  Then  came  Eliakim,  Hilkiah's  son,  who  [was)over  the 
house,  and  Shcbna  the  scribe,  and  Joah,  Asaph's  son,  the  recorder, 
unto  Uezekiah,  with  their  clothes  rent  (literally,  rent  of  clothes),  and 
told  him  the  tvords  of  Rabshakeh.  Some  of  the  older  writers 
understand  the  rending  of  their  garments  as  a  mere  sign  of  their 
horror  at  Rabshakeh's  blasphemies :  some  of  the  moderns  as  a 
mere  sign  of  despondency  and  alarm  at  the  impending  dangers  ; 
whereas  both  may  naturally  be  included. 


34  CHAPTER    XXXVIL 


CHAPTER   XXXVII. 

This  chapter  is  a  direct  continuation  of  the  one  before  it.  It 
describes  the  effect  of  Rabshakeh's  blasphemies  and  threats  on 
Hezekiah,  his  humiliation,  his  message  to  Isaiah,  and  the  answer, 
th*retreat  of  Rabshakeh,  Sennacherib's  letter,  Hezekiah's  pray- 
er, Isaiah's  prophecy,  and  its  fulfilment,  in  the  slaughter  of  Sen- 
nacherib's army  and  his  own  flight  and  murder. 

1.  And  it  was  (or  came  to  pass)^  when  King  Hezekiah  heard 
(the  report  of  his  messengers),  that  he  rent  his  clothes,  and  covered 
himself  with  sackcloth,  and  went  into  the  house  of  Jehovah.  He  re- 
sorted to  the  temple,  not  only  as  a  public  place,  but  with  refer- 
ence to  the  promise  made  to  Solomon  (I  Kings  8  :  29).  that  God 
would  hear  the  prayers  of  his  peoph;  from  that  place  when  they 
were  in  distress.  Under  the  old  dispensation  there  were  reasons 
for  resorting  to  the  temple,  even  to  offer  private  supplications, 
which  cannot  possibly  apply  to  any  church  or  other  place  at 
present.  This  arose  partly  from  the  fact  that  prayer  was  con- 
nected with  sacrifice,  and  this  was  rigidly  confined  to  one  spot. 

2.  And  he  se?it  Elialiimtvho  was  over  the  household,  and  Shebna 
the  scribe,  and  the  elders  of  the  priests,  covered  with  sackcloth,  unto 
Isaiah,  the  son  of  Amoz,  the  prophet.  While  he  himself  resorted 
to  the  temple,  he  sent  to  ask  the  counsel  and  the  intercessions 
of  the  Prophet.  Eliakim  and  Shebna  are  again  employed  in 
this  case,  as  being  qualified  to  make  an  exact  report  of  what 
had  happened,  and  in  order  to  put  honour  on  the  prophet  by  an 
embassy  of  distinguished  men.  In  the  place  of  Joah,  he  sends 
the  elders  of  the  priests,  i.  e.  the  heads  of  the  sacerdotal  families. 
The  king  applies  to  the  prophet  as  the  authorized  expouuder 
of  the  will  of  God.    Similar  applications  are  recorded  elsewhere 


CHAPTER    XXXVII.  -35 

with  sufficient  frequency  to  show  that  they  were  customary  and 
that  the  prophets  were  regarded  in  this  light.  Thus  Josiah 
sent  to  Huldah  (2  Kings  22  :  14),  Zedekiah  to  Jeremiah  (Jer. 
37  :  3),  etc.  The  impious  Ahab  required  Micaiah  to  come  to 
him,  and  that  only  at  the  earnest  request  of  King  Jehoshaphat 
(I  Kings  22:  9).  Of  the  king's  prompt  appeal  to  God  in  his 
extremity.  Gill  quaintly  says :  "  Hezekiah  does  not  sit  down 
to  consider  Rabshakeh's  speech,  to  take  it  in  pieces,  and  give 
an  answer  to  it,  but  he  applies  unto  God." 

3.  Ajid  they  said  imto  him,  Thus  saith  Hezekiah,  A  day  of 
anguish  and  rebuke  and  contempt  [is)  this  day,  ferr  the  children  are 
come  to  the  birth  (or  to  the  place  of  birth),  and  there  is  not  strength 
to  bring  forth.  As  the  execution  of  a  command  is  often  left  to 
be  inferred  from  the  command  itself  (ch.  7:3.  8  :  1,  etc.),  so 
here  the  details  of  the  command  are  to  be  gathered  from  the 
record  of  its  execution.  The  common  version  trouble,  seems  too 
weak  for  the  occasion  and  for  the  figure  in  the  other  clause.  It 
denotes,  not  external  danger  merely,  but  the  complicated  dis- 
tress, both  of  a  temporal  and  spiritual  nature,  in  which  Hezekiah 
was  involved  by  the  threats  and  blasphemies  of  the  Assyrian. 
Rebuke  signifies  the  divine  rebuke  or  chastisement,  as  in  Ps. 
73  :  14.  149  :  7.  It  is  characteristic  of  the  Scriptures  and  the 
ancient  saints  to  represent  even  the  malignity  of  human  enemies 
as  a  rebuke  from  God.  The  very  same  phrase  {day  of  rebuke) 
is  used  in  the  same  sense  by  Hosea  (5  :  9).  The  metaphor  in 
the  last  clause  expresses,  in  the  most  afi'ecting  manner,  the  ideas 
of  extreme  pain,  imminent  danger,  critical  emergency,  utter 
weakness,  and  entire  dependence  on  the  aid  of  others.  (Com- 
pare the  similar  expressions  of  ch.  26:  18.) 

4.  If  peradventure  Jehovah  thy  God  will  hear  the  words  of  Rab- 
shakeh,  tvhom  the  kiyig  of  Assyria  his  master  hath  sent  to  reproach 
the  living  God,  and  will  rebuke  the  words  which  Jehovah  thy  God 


36  CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

hath  heard,  then  shall  thou  lift  up  a  prayer  for  the  rrmnant  (that  is 
still)  found  (here).     It  was  because  Hezekiah  thought  Jehovah 
might  hear,  that  he  asked  Isaiah's  prayers  in  his  behalf.     The 
reproach  and  blasphemy  of  the  Assyrian  consisted  mainly  in 
his  confounding   Jehovah  with  the  gods  of  the  surrounding 
nations  (2  Chron.  32 :  19),  in  antithesis  to  whom,  as  being  im- 
potent and  lifeless,  he  is  here  and  elsewhere  called  the  livin.g 
God.     To  lift  vp  a  prayer  is  not  simply  to  utter  one,  but  has 
allusion  to  two  common  idiomatic  phrases,  that  of  lifting  up  the 
voice,  in  the  sense  of  speaking  loud  or  beginning  to  speak,  and 
that  of  lifting  up  the  heart  or  soul,  in  the  sense  of  earnestly 
desiring.     The  passive  participle /o;i«r/  is  often  used  in  Hebrew 
to  denote  what  is  present  in  a  certain  place,  or  more  generally 
what  is  extant,  in  existence,  or  forthcoming.     The  meaning  left, 
which  is  expressed  in  the  English  version,  is  suggested  wholly 
by  the  noun  with  which  the  participle  here  agrees.     As  to  the 
application  of  the  whole  phrase,  it  may  either  be  a  general 
description  of  the  straits  or  low  condition  to  which  the  chosen 
people  were  reduced  (as  the  church  at  Sardis  is  exhorted  to 
strengthen  the  things  tohich  remain,  Rev.  3  :  2),  or  be  more   spe- 
cifically understood  in  reference  to  Judah  as  surviving  the  de- 
struction of  the  ten  tribes  (compare  ch.  28  :  5),  or  to  Jerusalem 
as  spared  amidst  the  general  desolation  of  Judah  (compare  ch. 
1 :  8).     In  either  case,  the  king  requests  the  prophet  to  pray  for 
their  deliverance  from  entire  destruction.    This  application  was 
made   to    Isaiah,  not  as   a   private    person,  however   eminent 
in  piety,  but  as  one  who  was  recognized  as  standing  in  an  inti- 
mate relation  to  Jehovah,  and  as  a  constituted  medium  of  com- 
munication with  him.     In  like  manner  God  himself  said  to 
Abimelech  of  Abraham  :  he  is  a  prophet,  and  shall  pray  for  thee, 
and  thou  shall  live  (Gen.  20:7).     In  recognition  of  this  same 
relation,  Hezekiah  twice  says  thy  God,  i.  e.  thine  in  a  peculiar 
and  distinctive  sense.     This  phrase  is,  therefore,  not  to  be  re- 
garded as  an  expression  of  despondency,  nor  even  of  humility, 


CHAPTER   XXXVII.  37 

on  Hezekiah's  part,  but  as  a  kind  of  indirect  explanation  of  his 
reason  for  resorting  to  the  Prophet  at  this  juncture. 

5.  And  the  servants  of  king  Uezekiah  came  to  Isaiah.  This  is 
a  natural  and  simple  resumption  of  the  narrative,  common  in 
all  inartificial  history. 

6.  A?id  Isaiah  said  to  them,  Thus  shall  ye  say  to  your  master, 
Thus  saith  Jehovah,  Be  not  afraid  o/' (literally //■o/;t  bffore  or  from 
the  face  of)  the  words  which  thou  hast  heard,  (toith)  which  the  ser- 
vards  of  the  king  of  Assyria  have  blasphemed  me.  The  last  verb 
means  to  rail  at  or  revile,  and  when  applied  to  God  must  be 
translated  by  a  still  stronger  term.  The  word  translated  serv- 
ants is  not  the  same  with  that  in  the  preceding  verse,  but  strictly 
means  young  men  or  boys.  Many  regard  it  as  a  contemptuous 
description. 

7.  Behold  I  am  putting  (or  about  to  put)  a  spirit  in  him,  and 
he  shall  hear  a  noise,  and  shall  return  to  his  owni  land,  ccnd  I icill 
cause  him  to  fall  by  the  sivord  in  his  own  land.  The  English 
Version  renders  the  first  clause,  behold  I loill  send  a  blast  upon 
him,  meaning  either  a  pestilential  blast  or  a  destructive  tempest. 
But  the  phrase  refers  to  an  effect  to  be  produced  upon  the  mind 
of  the  Assyrian.  The  most  probable  conclusion  is,  that  it  does 
not  denote  a  specific  change,  but  divine  influence  as  governing 
his  movements.  Most  writers  understand  the  phrase,  he  shall 
hear  a  7wise,  as  referring  to  the  news  mentioned  in  v.  9  below. 
But  as  this  news,  far  from  driving  Sennacherib  home,  led  to  a 
fresh  defiance  of  Jerusalem,  it  has  been  ingeniously  suggested 
that  this  expression  has  reference  to  the  news  of  the  destruction 
of  his  host  before  Jerusalem  while  he  himself  was  absent.  But 
in  the  next  verse  Rabshakeh  is  said  to  have  rejoined  his  master, 
nor  is  there  any  further  mention  of  an  army  at  Jerusalem.  It 
is  possible,  indeed,  though  not  recorded,  that  Rabshakeh  left 


38  CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

the  troops  behind  him  when  he  went  to  Libnah,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Tartan  or  Kabsaris  (2  Kings  18:  17),  and  this  is  still 
more  probable  if,  as  some  suppose,  Rabshakeh  was  a  mere  am- 
bassador or  herald,  and  Tartan  the  real  military  chief.  If  it 
can  be  assumed,  on  any  ground,  that  the  great  catastrophe  took 
place  in  the  absence  of  Sennacherib,  which  would  account  for 
his  personal  escape,  then  the  explanation  given  above  is  more 
satisfactory  than  any  other. 

8.  And  Rabshakeh  returned  and  found  the  king  of  Assyria 
fighting  against  (i.  e.  besieging)  Libnah^  for  he  heard  that  he  had 
decamped  from  Lachish.  Both  these  towns  were  in  the  plain  or 
lowlands  of  Judah  south-west  of  Jerusalem  (Josh.  15  :  39,  42), 
originally  seats  of  Canaanitish  kings  or  chiefs,  conquered  by 
Joshua  (Josh.  12:  11,  15).  Lachish  was  one  of  the  fifteen 
places  fortified  by  Rehoboam  (2  Chron.  11:9),  and  one  of  the 
last  towns  taken  by  Nebuchadnezzar  ( Jer.  34  :  7)  It  was  still 
in  existence  after  the  exile  (Neh.  1 1  :  30).  Libnah  was  a  city  of 
the  Levites  and  of  refuge  (Josh.  21  :  13),  and  appears  to  have 
been  nearer  to  Jerusalem.  The  last  verb  in  this  verse  properly 
denotes  the  removal  of  a  tent  or  an  encampment. 

9.  And  he  (Sennacherib)  heard  say  concerning  Tirhakah  king 
of  Ethiopia.  He  is  come  forth  to  make  war  with  thee ;  and  he  lieard 
{ii)  and  sent  (or  when  he  heard  it  he  sent)  vwssengers  to  Hezekiah^ 
saying  (what  follows  in  the  next  verse).  For  the  meaning  of 
the  Hebrew  name  Cush^  see  the  notes  on  ch.  18:  1  and  20  :  3. 
Tirhakah  was  one  of  the  most  famous  conquerors  of  ancieiit 

(^/'times.  M^gasthenes,  as  quoted  by  Strabo,  puts  him  between 
Sesostris  and  Nebuchadnezzar.  He  is  also  named  by  Manetho 
as  one  of  the  Ethiopian  dynasty  in  Egypt.  He  was  at  this  time 
either  in  close  alliance  with  that  country,  or  more  probably  in 
actual  possession  of  Thebais  or  Upper  Egypt.  The  fact  that 
an  Ethiopian  dynasty  did  reign  there,  is  attested  by  the  ancient 


CHAPTER    XXXVII.  39 

writers,  and  confirmed  by  still  existing  monuments.  The  Greek 
forms  of  the  name  {^TuQuxog^  T&Qxog,  Tifjxuv)  vary  but  little 
from  the  Hebrew.  It  is  unnecessary  to  suppose  that  Tirliakah 
had  crossed  the  desert  to  invade  Syria,  or  that  he  was  already 
on  the  frontier  of  Judah.  The  bare  fact  of  his  having  left  his 
own  dominions,  with  the  purpose  of  attacking  Sennacherib, 
would  be  sufficient  to  alarm  the  latter,  especially  as  his  opera- 
tions in  the  Holy  Land  had  been  so  unsuccessful.  He  was 
naturally  anxious  therefore  to  induce  Hezekiah  to  capitulate 
before  the  Ethiopians  should  arrive,  perhaps  before  the  Jews 
should  hear  of  their  approach.  That  he  did  not  march  upon 
Jerusalem  himself,  is  very  probably  accounted  for  on  the  ground 
that  his  strength  lay  chiefly  in  cavalry,  which  could  not  be  em- 
ployed in  the  highlands,  and  that  the  poliorcetic  part  of  warfare 
Was  little  known  to  any  ancient  nation  but  the  Romans,  as 
Tacitus  explicitly  asserts.  To  this  may  be  added  the  peculiar 
difficulty  arising  from  the  scarcity  of  water  in  the  environs  of' 
Jerusalem,  which  has  been  an  obstacle  to  all  the  armies  that 
have  ever  besieged  it.     (See  the  notes  on  ch.  22  :  9-1 1.) 

10.  Thus  shall  ye  say  to  Hezekiah,  king  of  Judah,  Let  not  thy 
God  deceive  thee,  in  ichom  thou  trustest,  saying,  Jerusalem  shall  not 
be  given  into  tJie  hand  of  the  king  of  Assyria.  This  recognition 
of  Hezekiah's  royal  dignity,  of  which  Rabshakeh  seemed  to 
take  no  notice,  if  significant  at  all,  as  some  interpreters  imagine, 
may  be  accounted  for  upon  the  ground,  that  in  this  message 
the  design  of  the  Assyrian  was  not  to  destroy  the  people's  con 
fidence  in  Hezekiah,  but  the  king's  own  confidence  in  God.  For 
the  same  reason,  Sennacherib's  blasphemy  is  much  more  open 
and  direct  than  that  of  Rabshakeh.  The  word  saying  may  be 
referred  either  to  Hezekiah  or  to  God.  The  English  Version 
makes  the  last  construction  necessary,  by  changing  the  colloca- 
tion of  the  words  ;  but  many  others  understand  the  sense  to  be, 
in  whom  thou  trustest,  saying.    On  the  whole,  it  is  best,  in  a  case 


40  CHAFTER   XXXVII. 

BO  doubtful,  to  retain  the  Hebrew  collocation  with  all  its  am- 
biguity. 

1 1.  Behold,  thou  hast  heard  tohat  the  kings  of  Assyria  have  done 
to  all  the  lands,  by  utterly  destroying  them,  and  thou  shalt  be  ddiv- 
ered !  The  interjection  behold  appeals  to  these  events  as  some- 
thing perfectly  notorious  ;  as  if  he  had  said,  see  what  has  hap- 
pened to  others,  and  then  judge  whether  thou  art  likely  to 
escape.  The  pronoun  thou,  in  the  first  clause,  not  being  neces- 
sary to  the  sense,  is,  according  to  analogy,  distinctive  and  em- 
phatic, and  may  be  explained  to  mean,  thou  at  least  hast  heard, 
if  not  the  common  people.  In  the  last  clause,  the  same  pronoun 
stands  in  opposition  to  the  other  kings  or  kingdoms  who  had 
been  destroyed.  This  clause  is,  in  most  versions,  rendered  as 
an  interrogation,  but  is  properly  an  exclamation  of  contemptuous 
incredulity.  All  the  lands  may  be  either  an  elliptical  expression 
for  all  the  hauls  subdued  by  them,  or,  which  is  more  in  keeping 
with  the  character  of  the  discourse,  a  hyperbolical  expression 
of  the  speaker's  arrogance. 

12.  Did  the  gods  of  the  nations  deliver  them,  lohich  my  fathers 
destroyed,  [to  wit)  Gozan,  and  Haran,  and  Rezeph,  and  the  chil- 
dren of  Eden  tohich  is  {ox  who  ivere)  in  Telassar?  Here  again 
the  collocation  of  the  words  makes  the  construction  doubtful, 
though  the  general  sense  is  clear.  With  respect  to  the  places 
mentioned  in  the  second  clause,  all  that  is  absolutely  necessary 
to  the  just  understanding  of  the  sentence,  is  that  they  were  well 
known,  both  to  speaker  and  hearer,  as  Assyrian  conquests.  The 
difficulty  of  identifying  some  of  them  affords  an  incidental  ar- 
gument in  favour  of  the  antiquity  and  genuineness  of  the  pas- 
sage. Gozan  is  probably  the  modern  Kaushan,  the  Gauzanitis 
of  Ptolemy,  a  region  of  Mesopotamia,  situated  on  the  Chaboras, 
to  which  a  portion  of  the  ten  tribes  were  transferred  by  Shal- 
maneser.    Haran  was  a  city  of  Mesopotamia,  where  Abraham's 


CHAPTER    XXXVII.  41 

father  died,  the  Carrae  of  the  Romans,  and  famous  for  the  great 
defeat  of  Crassus.  Rczcph,  a  common  name  in  oriental  geography, 
here  denotes  probably  the  Rhessapha  of  Ptolemy,  a  town  and  prov- 
ince in  Palmyrene  Syria.  I^doi  means  pleasure  or  delight,  and 
seems  to  have  been  given  as  a  name  to  various  places.  Having 
been  thus  applied  to  a  district  in  the  region  of  Mount  Lebanon 
the  native  Christians  have  been  led  to  regard  that  as  the  site 
of  the  terrestrial  paradise.  Equally  groundless  are  the  conclu- 
sions of  some  learned  critics  as  to  the  identity  of  the  place  here 
mentioned  with  the  garden  of  Eden.  Such  allusions  prove  no 
more,  as  to  the  site  of  the  garden,  than  the  similar  allusions  of 
modern  orators  and  poets  to  any  delightful  region  as  an  Eden 
or  Paradise.  Even  the  continued  application  of  the  name,  in 
prose,  as  a  geographical  term,  proves  no  more  than  the  use  of 
such  a  name  as  Mount  Pleasaiit  in  American  geography.  The 
inference,  in  this  place,  is  especially  untenable,  because  the 
word  sons  or  children,  prefixed  to  Eden,  leaves  it  doubtful  whether 
the  latter  is  the  name  of  a  place  at  all,  and  not  rather  that  of  a 
person,  whose  descendants  were  among  the  races  conquered  by 
Assyria.  The  relative  pronoun  may  agree  grammatically  either 
with  sons  or  Eden,  and  the  form  of  the  verb  to  be  supplied  must 
be  varied  accordingly.  Telassar,  which  some  think  may  be 
identical  with  the  Ellasar  of  Gen.  14:  1,  appears  to  be  analo- 
gous in  form  to  the  Babylonian  names,  Tcl-abib,  Telmelah,  Tel- 
hasha^  in  all  which  tcl  means  hill  and  corresponds  to  the  English 
mount  in  names  of  places. 

13.  Where  is  the  king  of  Hamath,  and  the  king  of  Arpad,  ajid 
the  king  of  the  city  Sepharvaim,  Hcna  and  Ivvah?  The  question 
implies  that  they  were  nowhere,  or  had  ceased  to  be.  The  first 
three  names  occur  in  the  same  order  in  Rabshakeh's  speech 
(ch.  36  :  19),  and  the  remaining  two  also  in  the  parallel  passage 
(2  Kings  18:  34).  Of  Hena  nothing  whatever  is  known,  and 
of  Ivvah  only  that  it  may  be  identical  with  the  Avva  of  2  Kings 


42  CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

17:  24,  from  which  Assyrian  colonists  were  transferred  to  Sa- 
maria. It  has  been  suggested  that  they  are  the  names  of  the 
deities  worshipped  at  Hamath,  Arpad,  and  Sepharvaim.  In 
favour  of  this  exposition,  besides  the  fact  that  the  names,  as 
names  of  places,  occur  nowhere  eise,  it  may  be  urged  that  it 
agrees  not  only  with  the  context  in  this  place,  but  also  with  2 
Kings  18 :  34, 

1 4.  And  Hezekiah  took  the  letters  from  the  Imnd  of  the,  messengers^ 
and  read  it^  and  went  up  {to)  the  house  of  Jehovah^  and  Hezekiah 
spread  it  before  Jehovah.  As  nothing  had  been  previously  said 
respecting  letters,  we  must  either  suppose  that  the  preceding 
address  was  made  not  orally  but  in  writing,  or  that  both  modes 
of  communication  were  adopted.  The  latter  is  most  probable 
in  itself,  and  agrees  best  with  the  statement  in  2  Chr.  32  :  17, 
that  besides  the  speeches  which  his  servants  spake  against  the 
Lord  God  and  against  his  servant  Hezekiah,  Sennacherib  lorote 
letters  to  rail  on  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  and  to  speak  against 
him.  The  singular  pronoun  {it)  refers  to  the  plural  antecedent 
{letters).,  which  like  the  Latin  literae  had  come  to  signify  a  single 
letter,  and  might  be  therefore  treated  indiscriminately  either 
as  a  singular  or  plural  form.  The  parallel  passage  (2  Kings 
19 :  14)  removes  all  appearance  of  irregularity  by  reading  them 
instead  of  it.  As  any  man  might  carry  an  open  letter,  which 
troubled  or  perplexed  him,  to  a  friend  for  sympathy  and  counsel, 
so  the  pious  king  spreads  this  blasphemous  epistle  before  God, 
as  the  occasion  and  the  subject  of  his  prayers.  Josephus  says 
be  left  it  afterwards  rolled  up  in  the  temple,  of  which  fact 
there  is  no  record  in  the  narrative  before  us 

5.  And  Hezekiah  prayed  to  Jehovah.,  saying  (what  follows  iu 
the  next  verse).  Gill  quaintly  says  that,  instead  of  answering 
the  letter  himself,  he  prays  the  Lord  to  answer  it.  Instead  of 
to.,  the  parallel  passage  (2  Kings  19  :  15)  has  before  Jehovah. 

18* 


CHAPTER    XXXVII.  43 

16.  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  God  of  Israel.,  dwelling  between  (or  sitting 
upon)  the  cherubim,  thou  art  he,  the  God  (i.  e.  the  only  true  God), 
thou  alone,  to  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth ;  thou,  hast  made  the 
heavens  and  the.  earth.  The  cherubim  were  sj'fiiboli^J  representa- 
tions of  the  superhuman  orders  of  beings,  or,  as  some  suppose, 
of  the  perfection  of  the  creature  in  its  highest  form.  Whether 
Jehovah's  riding  on  the  cherubim  (Ps.  18  :  10)  or  his  being  en- 
throned above  the  material  cherubs  in  the  temple,  or  his  dicell- 
ing  between  the  cherubim  (Ex.  25  :  22),  be  specifically  meant, 
there  is  obvious  allusion  to  his  manifested  presence  over 
the  mercy-seat,  called  by  the  later  Jews  shechinah,  which 
word  is  itself  used  in  the  Chaldee  Paraphrase  of  the  verse 
before  us.  The  God  of  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  is  not  an 
exact  translation  of  the  Hebrew  words,  in  which  the  God  stands 
by  itself  as  an  emphatic  phrase,  meaning  the  only  God,  the  true 
God,  and  what  follows  is  intended  to  suggest  a  contrast  with 
the  false  gods  of  the  nations.  Not  simply  of  all,  in  all,for^all, 
or  over  all,  but  ivith  respect  to  all.  Thou  art  the  one  true  God, 
not  only  with  respect  to  us,  but  with  respect  to  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth.  The  reason  follows  :  because  thou  hast  made  them 
all,  and  not  the  earth  only,  but  the  heavens  also.  All  this  is 
indirectly  a  reply  to  the  Assyrian  blasphemies,  which  questioned 
the  almighty  power  of  Jehovah,  and  put  him  on  a  level  with 
the  idols  of  the  heathen.  The  same  antithesis  between  the  im- 
potence of  idols  and  the  power  of  God,  as  shown  in  the  creation 
of  the  world,  occurs  in  Ps.  96  :  5  and  Jer.  10  :  11. 

17.  Bow  thine  ear,  O  Jehovah^  and  hear;  open  thine  eyes,  O 
Jehovah,  and  see ;  and  hear  all  the  ivords  of  Sennacherib,  which 
he  hath  sent  (or  ^oho  hath  sent)  to  reproach  the  living  God.  These 
expressions  are  entirely  analogous  to  those  in  many  other  places, 
where  God  is  entreated  to  see  and  hear,  i.  e.  to  act  as  if  he  saw 
and  heard.  The  simplest  version  is,  ivho  has  sent.  To  express 
the  idea,  jvhich  he  has  sent,  usage  would  seem  to  require  a  per- 


44  CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

sonal  pronoun  with  the  verb,  as  in  2  Kings  19:  16,  where  the 
relative  may  refer  to  the  plural  worch^  or  to  Rabshakeh,  which 
last  is  the  construction  given  in  the  English  Version  of  that 
passage. 

18.  It  is  trv£,  O  Jehovah,  the  kings  of  Assyria  have  wasted  all 
the  lands  and  their  land.  The  first  word  in  the  original  is  a 
particle  of  concession,  admitting  the  truth  of  what  Sennacherib 
had  said,  so  far  as  it  related  merely  to  his  conquest  of  the  na- 
tions and  destruction  of  their  idols.  The  repetition,  lands  and 
iand,  has  much  perplexed  interpreters.  The  best  construction 
is  that  which  brings  the  sentence  into  strict  agreement,  not  as 
to  form  but  as  to  sense,  with  the  parallel  passage  (2  Kings  19 : 
17),  where  we  have  the  unambiguous  term  nations. 

19.  And  given  (or  put)  their  gods  into  the  fire — -for  they  (were) 
no  gods,  but  wood  and  stone,  the  work  ofmen^s  hands — and  destroyed 
them.  The  application  of  the  word  gods  to  the  mere  external 
image  is  common  in  profane  as  well  as  sacred  writings,  and 
arises  from  the  fact  that  all  idolaters,  whatever  they  may  theo- 
retically hold  as  to  the  nature  of  their  deities,  identify  them 
practically  with  the  stocks  and  stones  to  which  they  pay  their 
adorations. 

20.  And  now,  oh  Jehovah  our  God,  save  us  from  his  hand,  and 
all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  shall  know,  that  thou  Jehovah  art 
alone  (or  that  thou  alone  art  Jehovah).  The  adverb  now  is  here 
used  both  in  a  temporal  and  logical  sense,  as  equivalent,  not 
only  to  at  length,  or  before  it  is  too  late,  but  also  to  therefore,  oi 
since  these  things  are  so.  The  fact  that  Sennacherib  had  destroyed 
other  nations,  is  urged  as  a  reason  why  the  Lord  should  inter- 
pose to  rescue  his  own  people  from  a  like  destruction  ;  nnd  the 
fact  that  he  had  really  triumphed  over  other  gods,  as  a  reason 
why  he  should  be  taught  to  know  the  difference  between  \V^rx> 


CHAPTER    XXXVII.  45 

and  Jehovah.  The  construction  of  the  verh  as  an  optative  {let 
all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  know),  or  a  subjunctive  {that  all  the 
kingdoms  of  the  earth  may  know),  although  admissible,  ought  not 
to  be  preferred  to  the  future  proper,  where  the  latter  yields  a 
sense  so  good  in  itself  and  so  well  suited  to  the  context.  The 
last  words  of  the  verse  may  either  mean,  that  thou,  Jehovah  art 
the  only  one  (i.  e.  as  appears  from  the  connection,  the  only  true 
God),  or,  that  thou  alone  art  Jrhovah,  with  particular  allusion  to 
the  proper  import  of  that  name  as  signifying  absolute,  eternal, 
independent  existence.  The  first  is  recommended  by  its  more 
exact  agreement  with  the  masoretic  accents.  These  questions 
of  construction  do  not  affect  the  general  sense,  which  is,  that 
the  deliverance  of  his  people  from  Sennacherib  would  prove 
Jehovah  to  be  infinitely  more  than  the  gods  of  the  nations  whom 
he  gloried  in  destroying. 

21.  And  Isaiah,  the  son  of  Ainoz,  sent  to  Hezckiah  saying,  Tl^us 
saith  Jehovah,  the  God  of  Israel,  [as  to)  what  thou  hast  frayed  to 
me  {tcilh  respect)  to  Sennacherib  king  of  Assyria  (the  apodosis 
follows  in  the  next  verse).  The  supposition  that  the  commu- 
nication was  in  writing,  is  favoured  by  the  analogy  of  v.  14,  and 
by  the  length  and  metrical  form  of  the  message  itself 

22.  This  is  the  word  which  Jehovah  hath  spoken  concerning  (or 
against)  him.  The  virgin  daughter  of  Zion  hath  despised  thee,  she 
hath  laughed  thee  to  scorn,  the  daughter  of  Jerusalem  hath  shaken 
her  head  after  thee.  The  simple  meaning  is  that  what  follows  is 
a  revelation  from  God  in  answer  to  the  vaunting  of  Sennacherib 
and  the  prayers  of  Hezekiah.  For  the  meaning  of  the  phrase 
daughter  of  Zion,  see  the  note  on  ch.  I  :  8  ;  for  the  construction 
of  virgin,  that  on  ch.  23  :  12.  The  virgin  daughter  Zion,  i  e.  Zion 
considered  as  a  daughter  and  a  virgin.  It  may  be  a  personifi- 
cation either  of  the  whole  church  and  nation,  or  of  the  city  of 
Jerusalem,  which  last  seems  moie  appropriate  in  this  connection. 


46  CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

Not  merely  at  thee,  but  after  thee  as  thou  fleest.  Some  under- 
stand by  shaking  a  derisive  nodding  or  vertical  motion  of  the 
head  accompanied  by  laughter.  Others  suppose  that  a  wagging 
or  lateral  motion  of  the  head,  although  not  used  by  us  for  such 
a  purpose,  may  have  been  common  as  a  gesture  of  derision  in 
the  east,  the  rather  as  such  signs  are  to  a  great  extent  conven- 
tional, and  as  other  derisive  gestures  mentioned  in  the  Scrip- 
tures are  equally  foreign  from  our  habits  and  associations. 
Others  again  suppose  that  the  shaking  of  the  head,  with 
the  Hebrews  as  with  us,  was  a  gesture  of  negation,  and  that 
the  expression  of  scorn  consisted  in  a  tacit  denial  that  Sen- 
nacherib had  been  able  to  effect  his  purpose.  Thus  under- 
stood, the  action  is  equivalent  to  saying  in  words,  ??o,  710 !  i.  e. 
he  could  not  do  it.  See  my  note  on  Psalm  22  :  8.  The  mean- 
ing of  the  whole  verse,  divested  of  its  figurative  dress,  is  that 
the  people  of  God  might  regard  the  threats  of  the  Assyrian  with 
contempt. 

23.  Whom  hast  thou  reproached  and  reviled,  and  against  whom 
hast  thou  raised  {thy)  voice,  and  lifted  thine  eyes  [on)  high  towards 
(or  against)  the  Holy  One  of  Israd  ?  This  is  equivalent  to  saying, 
dost  thou  know  who  it  is  that  thou  revilest  ?  To  raise  the  voice 
may  simply  mean  to  speak,  or  more  emphatically  to  speak  boldly, 
perhaps  with  an  allusion  to  the  literal  loudness  of  Rabshakeh's 
address  to  the  people  on  the  wall  (ch.  36:  13).  The  construc- 
tion loftiness  of  eyes  (meaning  pride)  is  inconsistent  both  with 
the  pointing  and  accentuation.  The  English  and  many  other 
versions  make  the  last  words  of  the  second  clause  an  answer  to 
the  foregoing  question.  [Against  whom  1  Against  the  Holy 
One  of  Israel.)     But  the  other  construction  is  more  natural. 

24.  By  the  hand  of  thy  servants  hast  thou,  reproached  the  Lord 
and  said,  With  the  multitude  of  my  chariots  (or  cavalry)  I  have 
ascended  the  height  of  mountains,  the  sides  of  Lebanon,  and  I  will 


CHAPTER    XXXVII.  47 

cut  doi07i  the  loftiness  of  its  cedars  and  the  choice  of  its  firs  (or  cy- 
presses)^ and  I  will  reach  its  extreme  height  (literally,  the  Jieight 
of  its  extremity)^  its  gardenforest  (literally,  the  garden  of  its  forest). 
This  may  be  regarded  either  as  the  substance  of  another  mes- 
sage actually  sent  by  Sennacherib,  or  as  a  translation  of  his 
feelings  and  his  conduct  into  words.  By  tJie  hand  may  then 
mean  simply  through  (as  in  ch.  20 :  1 ),  or  refer  particularly  to 
the  letters  mentioned  in  v.  14.  l^he  fruitful  field  ^  vineyard^  gar- 
den^ orchard^  or  the  like,  is  here  combined  with  forest,  either 
for  the  purpose  of  describing  the  cedar  groves  of  Lebanon  as 
similar  to  parks  and  orchards,  or  of  designating  the  spot  where 
ths  cultivated  slope  of  the  mountain  is  gradually  changed  into 
a  forest.  It  was  long  supposed  that  the  only  cedar  grove  of 
Lebanon  was  the  one  usually  visited  near  the  highest  summit 
of  the  range;  but  in  1805,  Seetzen  discovered  two  others  of 
greater  extent,  and  the  American  missionaries  have  since  found 
many  trees  in  different  parts  of  the  mountain.  (See  Robinpon's 
Palestine,  III.  440.)  If  we  take  into  consideration  the  whole 
context,  and  the  strongly  hyperbolical  expressions  of  the  other 
messages  and  speeches  of  Sennacherib,  it  will  be  found  most 
natural  to  understand  this  verse  as  a  poetical  assertion  of  the 
speaker's  power  to  overcome  all  obstacles. 

25.  /  have  digged  and  drunk  water,  and  I  loill  dry  up  with 
the  sole  of  my  feet  (literally,  steps)  all  the  streams  of  Egypt.  As 
in  the  preceding  verse,  he  begins  with  the  past  tense  and  then 
changes  to  the  future,  to  denote  that  he  had  begun  his  enter- 
prise successfully  and  expected  to  conclude  it  triumphantly. 
The  confusion  of  the  tenses,  as  all  futures  or  ail  preterites,  is 
entirely  arbitrary,  and  the  translation  of  them  all  as  presents  is 
at  least  unnecessary,  when  a  stricte.r  version  not  only  yields  a 
good  sense,  but  adds  to  the  significance  and  force  of  the  ex- 
pressions. The  best  interpretation,  on  the  whole,  is  that  which 
understands  the  verse  to  mean  that  no  difficulties  or  privations 


48  CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

could  retard  his  march,  that  where  there  was  no  water  he  had 
dug  for  it  and  found  it,  and  that  where  there  was  he  would 
exhaust  it,  both  assertions  implying  a  vast  multitude  of  soldiers. 
The  drying  up  of  the  rivers  with  the  soles  of  the  feet  is  under- 
stood by  some  as  an  allusion  to  the  Egyptian  mode  of  drawing 
water  with  a  tread-wheel  (Deut.  11  :  10).  Others  suppose  it  to 
mean,  that  they  would  cross  the  streams  dry-shod,  or  that  the 
dust  raised  by  their  march  would  choke  and  dry  up  rivers.  In 
favour  of  supposing  an  allusion  to  the  drawing  ovit  of  water,  is 
the  obvious  reference  to  digging  and  drinking  in  the  other  clause. 

26.  Hast  thou  not  heard?  From  afar  I  have  done  it,  frora  the 
days  of  old,  and  have  formed  it.  Now  I  have  caused  it  to  come,  and 
it  shall  be  (or  come  to  pass),  to  lay  tvastc,  (as  or  into)  desolate  heaps, 
fortified  cities.  Most  writers,  ancient  and  modern,  are  agreed 
in  applying  the  first  clause,  either  to  express  predictions,  or  to 
the  purpose  and  decree  of  God  The  sens(3  is  then  substantially 
the  same  with  that  of  ch.  10:5,  15,  to  wit,  that  the  Assyrian 
had  wrought  these  conquests  only  as  an  instrument  in  the  hand 
of  God,  who  had  formed  and  declared  his  purpose  long  before, 
and  was  now  bi'inging  it  to  pass,  Hast  thou  not  heard?  may 
either  be  a  reference  to  history  and  prophecy,  or  a  more  general 
expression  of  surprise  that  he  could  be  ignorant  of  what  was  so 
notorious. 

27.  And  their  inhabitants  are  short  of  hand ;  they  are  broken 
and  confounded  ;  they  are  grass  of  the  field  and  green  herbage, 
grass  of  the  house-tops,  and  afield  before  the  stalk  (or  standing  corn), 
i.  e.  before  the  grain  has  grown  up.  This  may  be  regarded 
either  as  a  description  of  the  weakness  of  those  whom  the  Assy- 
rian had  subdued,  or  as  a  description  of  the  terror  with  which 
they  were  inspired  at  his  approach.  In  the  former  case  this 
verse  extenuates  the  glory  of  his  conquest ;  in  the  latter  it  en- 
hances it.     A  short  hand  or  arm  implies  inability  to  reach  the 


CHAPTER   XXXVIL  49 

object,  but  does  not  necessarily  suggest  the  idea  of  mutilation. 
In  a  negative  sense,  it  is  applied  to  God,  Num.  1 1  :  23.  Isai.  50  : 
2.  59  :  1.  The  general  meaning  of  the  whole  verse  evidently  is 
that  they  were  unable  to  resist  him. 

28.  And  thy  sitting  doivn,  and  thy  going  out,  and  thy  coming 
in,  I  have  known,  and  thy  raging  (or  f  revoking  of  thyself)  against 
me.  These  phrases  are  combined  to  signify  all  the  actions  of  his 
life,  like  sitting  down  and  rising  up  in  Ps.  139  :  2,  going  out  and 
coming  in,  Deut.  28 :  6,  1  Kings  3  :  7,  and  elsewhere,  the  latter 
especially  in  reference  to  military  movements  (1  Sam.  18:  16. 
2  Sam.  5  :  2). 

29.  Because  of  thy  raging  against  me,  and  {because)  thy  arro- 
gance has  come  up  into  my  ears,  I  will  put  my  hook  in  thy  nose, 
and  my  bridle  in  thy  lips,  and  Iicill  caus"  thee  to  return  by  the  way 
by  which  thou  earnest.  The  figures  in  the  last  clause  are  drawn 
from  the  customary  method  of  controlling  horses,  and  from*  a 
less  familiar  mode  of  treating  buffaloes  and  other  wild  animals, 
still  practised  in  the  east  and  in  menageries.  (Compare  Ezek. 
19  :  4.  29  ;  4.  38  :  4.  Job  41  :  I.)  The  figure  may  be  taken  in  a 
general  sense  as  signifying  failure  and  defeat,  or  more  specifically 
as  referring  to  Sennacherib's  hasty  flight. 

30.  And  this  to  thee  (oh  Hezekiah,  shall  be)  the  sign  (of  the 
fulfilment  of  the  promise)  :  eat,  the  (present)  year,  that  which 
groiveth  of  itself,  and  the  second  year  that  ivhich  springcth  of  the 
same,  and  in  the  third  year  sow  ye,  and  reap,  and  plant  vineyards, 
and  cat  the  fruit  thereof.  The  preceding  verse  closes  the  address 
to  the  Assyrian,  begun  in  v.  22,  and  the  Prophet  now  continues 
his  message  to  Hezekiah.  As  to  the  general  meaning  of  the 
verse,  there  are  two  opinions.  One  is  that  although  the  culti- 
vation of  the  land  had  been  interrupted  for  the  last  two  years, 
yet  now  in  this  third  year  they  might  safely  resume  it.     To  this 

VOL.  II. — 3 


60  CHAPTER   XXXVII. 

interpretation  it  may  be  objected,  that  it  arlJtrarily  makes  the 
year  mean  the  year  before  the  last,  and  no  less  arbitrarily  assumes 
that  the  infinitive  is  here  used  for  the  preterite.  The  later 
writers  seem  to  Have  gone  back  to  the  old  aiad  obvioas  interpre- 
tation, which  refers  the  whole  verse  to  tSie  future.  This  is 
grammatically  more  exact,  because  it  takes  the  year  in  a  sense 
analogous  to  that  of  the  day^  the  common  Hebrew  phrase  for 
this  day,  and  assimilates  the  infinitive  to  the  imperatives  which 
follow.  Thus  understood,  the  verse  is  a  prediction  that  for  two 
years  the  people  should  subsist  upon  the  secondary  fruits  of 
what  was  sown  two  years  before,  but  that  in  the  third  year  they 
should  till  the  ground,  as  usual,  implying  that  Sennacherib's 
invasion  should  before  that  time  be  at  an  end.  But  why  should 
this  event  be  represented  as  so  distant,  when  the  context  seeraa 
to  speak  of  Sennacherib's  discomfiture  and  flight  as  something 
which  immediately  ensued  1  Of  this  two  explanations  have  been 
given.  Most  probably  the  year  in  which  these  words  were 
uttered  was  a  sabbatical  year,  and  the  next  the  year  of  Jubilee, 
during  neither  of  which  the  Jews  were  allowed  to  cultivate  the 
ground,  so  that  the  resumption  of  tillage  was  of  course  postponed 
to  the  third.  It  is  no  conclusive  objection  to  this  theory,  that 
the  chronological  hypothesis  which  it  involves  cannot  be  posi- 
tively proved.  The  difficulty  in  all  such  cases  arises  from  the 
very  absence  of  positive  proof,  and  the  necessity  of  choosing 
between  different  possibilities.  The  only  remaining  question  is, 
wherein  the  sign  consisted,  or  in  what  sense  the  word  sign  is  to, 
be  understood  Some  take  it  in  its  strongest  sense  of  miracle^ 
and  refer  it,  either  to  the  usual  divine  interposition  for  the  sub- 
sistence of  the  people  during  the  sabbatical  years,  or  to  the 
miraculous  provision  promised  in  this  particular  case.  Others 
understand  it  here  as  simply  meaning  an  event  inseparable  from 
another,  either  as  an  antecedent  or  a  consequent,  so  that  the 
promise  of  the  one  is  really  a  pledge  of  the  other.  Thus  the 
promise  that  the  children  of  Israel  should  worship  at  Mount 


CHAPTER   XXXVII.  51 

Sinai  was  a  sign  to  Moses  that  they  should  first  leave  Egypt 
and  the  promised  birth  of  the  Messiah  was  a  sign  that  the  Jew- 
ish nation  should  continue  till  he  came. 

31.  A7id  the  escaped  (literally  the  escape)  of  Judah,  that  is  left, 
shall  again  take  root  downward  and  bear  fruit  upward.  This 
verse  foretells,  by  a  familiar  figure,  the  returning  prosperity  of 
Judah.  For  the  peculiar  use  of  the  abstract  noun  escape,  see 
above,  ch.  4:2.  10:20.  15:9. 

32.  For  out  of  Jerusalem  shall  go  forth  a  remnant,  and  an  escape 
from  Mount  Zion ;  the  zeal  of  Jehovah  of  Hosts  shall  do  this. 
For  the  meaning  of  the  last  clause,  see  the  commentary  on  ch. 
9 :  7.  The  first  clause  is  an  explanation  of  the  use  of  the  words 
escape  and  left  in  the  foregoing  verse.  The  verse  denotes  simply 
that  some  in  Jerusalem  or  Zion  shall  be  saved. 

\ 

33.  Therefore  (because  Jehovah  has  determined  to  fulfil  these 

promises),  thus  saith  Jehovah  {^with  respect)  to  the  king  of  Assyria^ 
he  shall  not  come  to  this  city,  and  shall  not  shoot  an  arrow  there, 
and  shall  7iot  come  before  it  with  a  shield  (or  a  shield  shall  not  come 
before  it),  and  shall  7wt  cast  up  a  mound  against  it.  Some  under- 
stand this  as  meaning  simply  that  he  should  not  take  the  city, 
others  that  he  should  not  even  attack  it.  This  verse  seems  to 
show  that  Jerusalem  was  not  actually  besieged  by  the  Assy- 
rians, or  at  least  not  by  the  main  body  of  the  army  under  Sen- 
nacherib himself,  unless  we  assume  that  he  had  already  done 
so  and  retreated,  and  regard  this  as  a  promise  that  the  attempt 
should  not  be  repeated. 

34.  By  the  way  that  he  came  shall  he  return,  and  to  this  city 
shall  he  not  come,  saith  Jehovah.  The  first  clause  may  simply 
mean  that  he  shall  go  back  whence  he  came,  or  more  specifically, 


52  CHAPTER   XXXVII. 

tliat  he  shall  retreat  without  turning  aside  to  attack  Jerusalem, 
either  for  the  first  or  second  time. 

35.  And  I  will  cover  over  (or  protect)  this  cilT/,  {so  as)  to  save  it, 
for  my  own  sake,  and  for  the  sake  of  David  my  servant.  This 
does  not  mean  that  the  faith  or  piety  of  David,  as  an  individual, 
should  be  rewarded  in  his  descendants,  but  that  the  promise 
made  to  him,  respecting  his  successors,  and  especially  the  last 
and  greatest  of  them,  should  be  faithfully  performed.  (See 
2  Sam.  7;  12,  13.) 

36.  And  the  angel  of  Jehovah  ivent  forth,  and  smote  in  the  camp 
of  Assyria  an  hundred  and  eighty  and  five  thousand,  and  th^y  (the 
survivors,  or  the  Jews)  rose  early  in  the  morning,  and  behold,  all 
of  them  (that  were  smitten)  were  d:ad  corpses.  Even  if  we  give 
the  phrase  a7igcl  of  the  Lord  its  usual  sense,  "there  is  no 
more  improbability  in  the  existence  of  a  good  angel  than  there 
is  in  the  existence  of  a  good  man,  or  in  the  existence  of  an 
evil  spirit  than  there  is  in  the  existence  of  a  bad  man  ;  there 
is  no  more  improbability  in  the  supposition  that  Grod  employs 
invisible  and  heavenly  messengers  to  accomplish  his  pur- 
poses than  thei*e  is  that  he  employs  men.''  (Barnes.)  The 
terms  used  can  naturally  signify  nothing  but  a  single  instan- 
taneous stroke  of  divine  vengeance,  and  the  parallel  passage 
(2  Kings  19  :  35)  says  expressly  that  the  angel  smote  this  num- 
ber in  that  night.  The  parallel  narrative  in  2  Chr.  32:21, 
instead  of  numbering  the  slain,  says  that  all  the  mighty  men 
of  valour  and  the  leaders  and  the  captains  in  the  camp  of  the 
Assyrian  were  cut  ofi".  Where  this  terrific  overthrow  took 
place,  whether  before  Jerusalem,  or  at  Libnah,  or  at  some  in- 
tervening point,  has  been  disputed,  and  can  never  be  determined, 
in  the  absence  of  all  data,  monumental  or  historical.  Through- 
out the  sacred  narrative,  it  seems  to  be  intentionally  left  uncer- 
tain, whether  Jerusalem  was  besieged  at  all,  whether  Sennache- 


CHAPTER  XXXVII.  53 

rib  in  person  ever  came  before  it,  wliether  his  army  was  divided 
or  united  when  the  stroke  befell  them,  and  also  what  proportion 
of  the  host  escaped.  It  is  enough  to  know  that  one  hundred 
and  eighty-five  thousand  men  perished  in  a  single  night. 

37.  Then  (Ucampcd  and  departed  and  returned  Sennacherib, 
king  of  Assyria^  and  dicelt  (or  remained)  in  Nineveh.  The  form 
of  expression  in  the  first  clause  is  thought  by  some  writers  to 
resemble  Cicero's  famous  description  of  Catiline's  escape  [abiit, 
excessit,  evasit,  erupit),  the  rapid  succession  of  the  verbs  suggest- 
ing the  id^a  of  confused  and  sudden  flight.  His  dwelling  in 
Nineveh  is  supposed  by  some  interpreters  to  be  mentioned  as 
implying  that  he  went  forth  no  more  to  war,  at  least  not  against 
the  Jews.  An  old  tradition  says  that  he  lived  only  fifty  days 
after  his  return ;  but  according  to  other  chronological  hypothe- 
ses, he  reigned  eighteen  years  longer,  and  during  that  interval 
waged  war  successively  against  the  Greeks  and  founded  Tarsus 
in  Cilicia. 

38.  Arid  he  was  worshipping  (in)  the  house  of  Nisroch  his  god, 
and  Adrammelech  and  Sharezer  his  sons  smote  hhn  with  the  sword, 
and  they  escaped  (literally,  saved  tlieinselves)  into  the  land  of  Ararat, 
and  Esarliaddon  his  son  reigned  in  his.  stead.  The  Jews  have  a 
tradition  that  Sennacherib  intended  to  sacrifice  his  sons,  and 
that  they  slew  him  in  self-defence.  Another  tradition  is,  that 
he  had  fled  into  the  temple  of  his  god  as  an  asylum.  A  simpler 
supposition  is,  that  the  time  of  his  devotions  was  chosen  by  his 
murderers,  as  one  when  he  would  be  least  guarded  or  suspicious. 
The  name  Adrammelech  occurs  in  2  Kings  17 :  31,  as  that  of  a 
Mesopotamian  or  Assyrian  idol.  Ararat,  both  here  and  in  Gen. 
8  :  4,  is  the  name  of  a  region,  corresponding  more  or  less  exactly 
to  Armenia,  or  to  that  part  of  it  in  which  the  ark  rested.  The 
Armenians  still  call  their  country  by  this  name.  From  the 
expression   mountains  of  Ararat  (Gen.  8  :  4)  has  sprung  the 


54  CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

modern  practice  of  applying  this  name  to  the  particular  emi- 
nence where  Noah  landed.  The  country  of  Ararat  is  described 
by  Smith  and  Dwight,  in  their  Researches  in  Armenia,  vol.  II. 
T)t).  73,  etc. 


CHAPTER   XXXVIII. 

This  chapter  contains  an  account  of  Hezekiah's  illness  and 
miraculous  recovery,  together  with  a  Psalm  which  he  composed 
in  commemoration  of  his  sufferings  and  deliverance.  The  par- 
allel passage  (2  Kings  20  :  l-ll)  varies  more  from  that  before 
us  than  in  the  preceding  chapter.  So  far  as  they  are  parallel, 
the  narrative  in  Kings  is  more  minute  and  circumstantial,  and 
at  the  same  time  more  exactly  chronological  in  its  arrangement. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  Psalm  is  wholly  wanting  in  that  passage. 
All  these  circumstances  favour  the  conclusion  that  the  text 
before  us  is  the  first  draught,  and  the  other  a  repetition  by  the 
hand  of  the  same  writer. 

1.  In  those  days  Hezeldah  was  sick  unto  death,  and  Isaiah,  the 
son  of  Amoz,  the  Prophet,  came  to  him,  and  said  to  him.  Thus  saith 
Jehovah,  Order  thy  house,  for  thou  {art)  dying,  and  art  not  to  live. 
As  Hezekiah  survived  this  sickness  fifteen  years  (v.  5),  and 
reigned  in  all  twenty-nine  (2  Kings  18:2),  those  days  must  be 
restricted  to  the  fourteenth  year,  which  was  that  of  the  Assyrian 
invasion.  Whether  this  sickness  was  before  the  great  catastrophe 
or  after  it,  is  not  a  question  of  much  exegetical  importance.  In 
favour  of  the  former  supposition  is  the  promise  in  v.  6,  according 
to  its  simplest  and  most  obvious  meaning,  though  it  certainly 
admits  of  a  wider  application.     It  is  also  favoured  by  the  ab- 


CHAPTER   XXXVII  i  55 

sence  of  allusions  to  the  slaughter  of  Sennacherib's  host  in  the 
song  of  Hezekiah.  But  on  the  other  hand,  his  prayer  is  only 
for  recovery  from  sickness,  without  any  reference  to  siege  or 
invasion.  It  has  been  objected  to  the  hypothesis  which  makes 
the  sickness  previous  in  date  to  the  destruction  of  the  host,  that 
it  would  not  have  been  omitted  in  its  proper  place.  It  is  alto- 
gether natural,  however,  that  the  Prophet,  after  carrying  the 
history  of  Sennacherib  to  its  conclusion,  should  go  back  to  com- 
plete that  of  Hezekiah  also.  Order  thy  house  is  ambiguous,  both 
in  Hebrew  and  in  English.  The  sense  may  be,  give  orders 
with  respect  to  thy  house ;  or,  command  thy  household, 
i.  e.  make  known  to  them  thy  last  will.  In  either  case,  the 
general  idea  is  that  of  a  final  settling  of  his  aflfairs  in  the 
prospect  of  death.  (Compare  2  Sam.  17  :  23.)  The  modern 
writers  infer  from  the  treatment  described  in  v.  21,  and  said  to 
be  still  practised  in  the  east,  that  Hezekiah  had  the  plague, 
which  would  make  it  less  improbable  that  this  was  the  instru-- 
ment  employed  in  the  destruction  of  Sennacherib's  army.  Of 
those  who  make  the  sickness  subsequent  to  this  great  deliver- 
ance, some  suppose  the  former  to  have  been  intended,  like  the 
thorn  in  Paul's  flesh,  to  preserve  Hezekiah  from  being  exalted 
above  measure.  That  he  was  not  wholly  free  from  the  necessity 
of  such  a  check,  may  be  inferred  from  his  subsequent  conduct 
to  the  Babylonian  envoys. 

2.  Aiul  Hezekiah  turned  his  face  to  tlie  wall,  and  prayed  to  Je- 
hovah. As  Ahab  turned  his  face  away  in  anger  (1  Kings 
21:4),  so  Hezekiah  does  the  same  in  grief 

3.  And  he  said.  Ah  Jehovah,  remeviher,  I  beseech  thee,  how  I 
have  walked  before  thee  in  truth  a?id  with  a  whole  heart,  and  that 
which  is  good  in  thine  eyes  I  have  done.  The  figure  of  ivalking 
before  God  includes  the  ideas  of  communion  with  him  and  sub- 
jection to  him,  and  is  therefore  more  comprehensive  than  the 


56  CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

kindred  phrase  of  walking  nmth  him.  By  truth  we  are  here  to 
understand  sincerity  and  constancy.  This  verse  is  not  an  angry 
expostulation,  nor  an  ostentatious  self-praise,  but  an  appeal  to 
the  only  satisfactory  evidence  of  his  sincerity. 

4.  And  the  word  of  Jehovah  was  (or  came)  to  Isaiah^  saying 
(what  follows  in  the  next  verse).  The  middle  city  may  either 
mean  the  middle  of  the  city  [media  urbs),  or  a  particular  part 
of  Jerusalem  so  called,  perhaps  that  in  which  the  temple  stood, 
or  more  generally  that  which  lay  between  the  upper  city  on 
Mount  Zion  and  the  loiccr  city  on  Mount  Akra.  The  commu- 
nication may  have  been  through  the  middle  gate  mentioned  by 
Jeremiah  (39  :  3).  In  either  case,  the  interval  could  not  have 
been  a  long  one,  though  sufl&cient  to  try  the  faith  of  Hezekiah. 

5.  Go  and  say  to  Hezekiah,  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  the  God  of 
David  thy  father,  I  have  heard  thy  prayer,  I  have  seen  thy  tears 
(or  weeping) ;  behold,  I  am  adding  (or  about  to  add)  unto  thy  days 
fifteen  years.  The  parallel  passage  (2  Kings  20  :  5)  has  :  return 
and  say  to  Hezekiah,  the  chief  [ov  leader)  of  my  people.  Thus  saith 
Jehovah  etc.  After  tears  it  adds:  behold,  (^I  am)  healing  (or 
about  to  heal)  thee ;  on  the  third  day  thou  shall  go  up  to  tJie  house 
of  Jehovah.  David  is  particularly  mentioned  as  the  person  to 
whom  the  promise  of  perpetual  succession  had  been  given 
(2  Sam.  7  :  12).  The  threatening  in  v.  1  was  conditional,  and 
the  second  message  was  designed  from  the  beginning  no  less 
than  the  first.  The  design  of  the  whole  proceeding  was  to  let 
Hezekiah  feel  his  obligation  to  a  special  divine  interposition  for 
a  recovery  which  might  otherwise  have  seemed  the  unavoidable 
effect  of  ordinary  causes. 

6.  Ayid  out  of  the  hand  of  the  king  of  Assyria  I  icill  save  thee 
and  this  city,  and  I  loill  cover  over  (or  protect)  this  city.  This 
probably  refers  to  subsequent  attacks  or  apprehensions.     The 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII,  57 

parallel  passage  (2  Kings  20  :  6)  adds,  for  my  own  sake  and  for 
the  sake  of  David  my  servant^  as  in  ch.  37 :  35. 

7.  A7id  this  [shall  be)  to  thee  the  signfrojn  Jehovah,  that  Jehovah 
will  perform  this  word  which  he  hath  spoken.  The  English  Ver- 
sion has  a  sign ;  but  the  article  is  emphatic,  the  (appoi?ited)  sign 
(proceeding)  from  Jehovah  (not  merely  from  the  Prophet).  The 
parallel  narrative  in  Kings  is  much  more  circumstantial.  What 
occurs  below,  as  the  last  two  verses  of  this  chapter,  there  stands 
in  its  regular  chronological  order,  between  the  promise  of  recov- 
ery and  the  announcement  of  the  sign,  so  that  the  latter  appears 
to  have  been  given  in  compliance  with  Hezekiah's  own  request 
and  choice.  A?id  Isaiah  said,  This  [shall  be)  to  thee  the  sign  from 
Jehovah,  that  Jehovah  will  peiform  the  thing  which  he  hath  spoken  ; 
shall  the  shadow  advance  ten  degrees,  oi-  shall  it  recede  ten  degrees  ? 
And  Hezekiah  <!aid,  It  is  a  light  thing  for  the  shadow  to  declhit 
ten  degrees ;  nay,  but  let  the  shadow  retiirn  backward  ten  degrees 
(2  Kings  20  : 9,  10).  As  to  the  transposition  of  vs.  21,  22,  see 
below. 

8.  Behold,  I  [am)  causing  the  shadow  to  go  hack,  the  degrees 
which  it  has  gone  down  (or  tvhich  have  gone  down)  on  the  degrees 
of  Ahaz  with  the  sun,  ten  degrees  backward ;  and  the  su?i  returned 
ten  degrees  on  tlie  degrees  which  it  had  gone  down.  As  to  the 
nature  of  the  phenomenon  here  described,  there  are  various 
opinions,  but  it  is  not  a  question  of  much  exegetical  or  practical 
importance,  since  it  neither  can  nor  need  be  ascertained,  whether 
the  course  of  the  sun  (or  of  the  earth  around  it)  was  miracu- 
lously changed,  or  the  shadow  miraculously  rendered  indepen- 
dent of  the  sun  which  caused  it.  The  former  hypothesis  is 
favoured  by  the  statement  that  the  sun  went  back,  if  taken  in 
its  strictest  and  most  obvious  sense,  although  it  may  be  under- 
stood as  a  metonymy  of  the  cause  for  the  effect.  At  any  rate, 
little  would  appear  to  be  gained  by  paring  down  a  miracle  tQ 

3* 


68  CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 

certain  dimensicwis,  wlien  even  on  tlie  lowest  supposition  it  can 
only  be  ascribed  to  the  almighty  power  of  God,  with  whom  all 
things  are  not  only  possible  but  equally  easy.  If  shut  up  to 
the  assumption  of  a  miracle,  it  matters  little  whether  it  be  great 
or  small.  It  is  enough  that  God  alone  could  do  it  or  infallibly 
predict  it.  If  this  be  admitted,  and  the  historical  truth  of  the 
narrative  assumed,  the  safest  course  is  to  expound  it  in  its 
simplest  and  most  obvious  sense.  Still  less  important  is  the 
question  whether  the  degrees  here  mentioned  were  the  graduated 
scale  of  a  dial,  or  the  steps  of  a  staircase.  It  was  alleged  by  some 
early  writers  on  the  subject,  that  the  use  of  dials  was  unknown 
in  the  days  of  Hezekiah.  Later  investigations  have  destroyed 
the  force  of  this  objection,  and  made  it  probable  that  solar 
chronometers  of  some  sort  were  in  use  among  the  Babylonians 
at  a  very  early  period,  and  that  Ahaz  may  have  borrowed  the 
invention  from  them,  as  he  borrowed  other  things  from  the  As- 
syrians (2  Kings  16  :  10).  There  is  therefore  no  historical 
necessity  for  assuming  that  the  shadow  here  meant  was  the 
shadow  cast  upon  the  steps  of  the  palace,  called  the  stairs  of 
Ahaz  because  he  had  built  them  or  the  house  itself  The  only 
question  is,  whether  this  is  not  the  simplest  and  most  obvious 
explanation  of  the  words,  and  one  which  entirely  exhausts  their 
meaning.  If  so,  we  may  easily  suppose  the  shadow  to  have 
been  visible  from  Hezekiah's  chamber,  and  the  offered  sign  to 
have  been  suggested  to  the  Prophet  by  the  sight  of  it  This 
hypothesis  relieves  us  from  the  necessity  of  accounting  for  the 
division  into  ten  or  rather  twenty  degrees,  as  Hezekiah  was 
allowed  to  choose  between  a  precession  and  a  retrocession  of  the 
same  extent  (2  Kings  20 : 9).  These  two  opinions  are  by  no 
means  so  irreconcilable  as  they  may  at  first  sight  seem.  Even 
supposing  the  degrees  of  Ahaz  to  have  been  an  instrument  con- 
structed for  the  purpose  of  measuring  time,  it  does  not  follow 
that  it  must  have  been  a  dial  of  modern  or  of  any  very  artificial 
structure.    It  is  quite  as  probable  that  a  column  at  the  top  of  a 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII.  69 

staircase  cast  a  shadow  which  was  found  available  for  a  rude 
measurement  of  time. 

9.  A  meriting-  of  Hezelciah^  king  of  Jiidah^  when  he  icas  sick,  and 
lived  (i.  e.  recovered)  from  his  sickness.  This  is  the  title  or  in- 
scription of  the  following  psalm  (vs.  10-20),  prefixed,  according 
to  the  ancient  oriental  usage,  by  the  author  himself,  and  there- 
fore forming  an  integral  part  of  the  text.  The  inspiration  and 
canonical  authority  of  this  production  are  clear  from  its  having 
been  incorporated  by  Isaiah  in  his  prophecies,  although  omitted 
in  the  second  book  of  Kings.  There  is  nothing  in  the  psalm 
itself  at  all  inconsistent  with  the  supposition,  that  it  was  con- 
ceived, and  perhaps  composed,  if  not  reduced  to  writing,  before 
the  complete  fulfilment  of  the  promise  in  the  king's  recovery. 
The  contrary  hypothesis  has  tended  to  embarrass  and  perplex 
the  interpretation,  as  will  be  more  distinctly  seen  below.  Tlie 
idiomatic  phrase  to  live  froin  sickness,  in  th&^sense  of  convales- 
cence or  recovery,  occurs  repeatedly  elsewhere,  either  fully  or 
in  an  abbreviated  form.  (See  for  example  1  Kings  1  :  2.  Gen. 
20 : 7.) 

1 0.  J  said  in  the  pause  of  my  days  I  shall  go  into  the  gates  of 
the  grave,  I  am  deprived  of  the  rest  of  my  years.  The  words  in 
the  pause  of  my  days  may  naturally  qualify  either  the  foregoing 
or  the  following  verb,  I  said  in  the  pause  of  my  days,  or,  in  the 
pause  of  my  days  I  shall  go ;  but  the  latter  construction  is  the 
best.  The  general  idea  is  the  same  as  in  Ps.  102  :  24,  I  said,  O 
my  God,  take  me  not  away  in  the  midst  of  my  days.  The  preposi- 
tion before  gates  may  mean  either  to,  through,  or  ijito ;  but  the 
last  is  its  usual  sense  after  verbs  of  motion.  As  parallel  ex- 
pressions may  be  mentioned  the  gates  of  death  (Ps  9:  13)  and 
the  gates  of  hell  (Matt.  16:  18).  The  last  verb  expresses  not 
mere  loss  or  privation,  but  penal  infliction.  It  was  because 
Hezekiah  regarded  the  threatened  abbreviation  of  his  life  as 


60  CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 

a  token   of  God's  wrath,  that  he  so  importunately  depreca- 
ted it. 

11.  /  said^  I  shall  not  see  Jah^  Jah  in  the  land  oftJie  living ;  1 
shall  not  behold  man  again  (or  longer)  with  the  inhabitants  of  the 
world.  Jah  Jah  is  an  intensive  repetition  similar  to  those  in 
vs.  17,  19.  Or  the  second  maybe  added  to  explain  and  qualify 
the  first.  He  did  expect  to  see  God,  but  not  in  the  land  of  the 
living.  For  other  explanations  of  the  name  see  above,  on  ch. 
12:  2  and  26:4.  The  land  of  the  living  is  the  present  life. 
The  preposition  ivith  may  connect  what  follows  either  with  the 
subject  or  the  object  of  the  verb ;  I  ivith  the  inhabitants,  or,  77ian 
with  the  inhabitants.  The  last  words  of  the  verse  bear  the  same 
relation  to  I  shall  not  see  man.,  that  the  words  in  the  land  of  the 
living  bear  to  I  shall  not  see  Jah.  If  the  latter  designate  the 
place  in  which  he  was  no  more  to  see  God,  then  the  former 
would  naturally  seem  to  designate  the  place  in  which  he  was 
no  more  to  see  man. 

12.  My  dwelling  is  plucked  up  and  uncovered  by  me  (or  away 
from  me)  like  a  shepherd's  tent.  I  have  rolled  up.,  like  the  locaver, 
my  life ;  from  tlie  thrum  he  will  cut  mc  off ;  from  day  to  night  thou 
wilt  finish  me.  The  same  thing  is  here  represented  by  two  fig- 
ures. The  first  is  that  of  a  tent,  the  stakes  of  which  are  pulled 
up,  and  the  covering  removed,  with  a  view  to  departure.  The 
second  figure  is  that  of  a  web  completed  and  removed  by  the 
weaver  from  the  loom.  From  the  thrum.,  i.  e.  the  ends  of  the  threads 
by  which  the  web  is  fastened  to  the  beam.  From  day  to  night 
is  commonly  explained  to  mean  before  to-morrow^  within  the  space 
of  one  day.  The  verb  in  the  last  clause  might,  without  violence 
to  etymology  or  usage,  be  explained  to  mean,  thoii,  wilt  (or  do 
thou)  make  me  whole.  But  interpreters  appear  to  be  agreed  in 
giving  it  the  opposite  sense  of  thou  wilt  make  an  end  of  me.  Some 
Buppose  moreover  that  the  figure  of  a  weaver  and  his  web  is 


CHAPTER   XXXVIII.  61 

still  continued,  and  that  the  idea  expressed  in  the  last  clause  is 
that  oi finishing  a  piece  of  work. 

13.  I  set  {hiin  before  me)  till  the  morning  (i.  e.  all  night)  as  a 
lio)i,  (saying)  so  will  he  break  all  my  bones ;  from  day  to  night 
thou  toilt  make  an  end  of  me.  Either  these  last  words  are  re- 
peated in  a  different  sense,  or  else  the  repetition  shows  that  they 
have  no  special  reference,  in  the  foregoing  verse,  to  the  process 
of  weaving.  I  set  him  before  vie.,  i.  e.  viewed  him  as  present, 
imagined  or  conceived  of  him  as  a  lion^  and  expected  him  to  act 
as  such,  saying,  so  (i.  e.  as  a  lion)  he  will  crush  all  my  bones. 
This  construction  gives  uniformity  of  meaning  to  the  clauses,  as 
descriptive  of  the  sufferer's  apprehensions. 

14.  Like  a  stmllow  (or)  a  crane  (Or  like  ativittering  swallow), 
so  I  chirp  ;  I  moan  like  the  dove ;  my  eyes  are  weak  (with  looking) 
upward  (or  on  high)  ;  O  Jehovah,  I  am,  oppres^d,  undertake  for 
vie  (or  be  my  surety).  In  the  first  clause  the  meanings  of  the 
sufferer  are  compared,  as  in  many  other  cases,  to  the  voice  of 
certain  animals.  The  dove  is  often  spoken  of  in  such  connec- 
tions, and  the  mention  of  it  here  makes  it  probable  that  the 
parallel  expressions  are  also  descriptive  of  a  bird  or  birds.  The 
comparison  is  evidently  meant  to  be  descriptive  of  inarticulate 
moans  or  murmurs.  The  reference  of  the  verbs  in  the  first 
clause  to  past  time  (/  chirped^  I  moaned),  though  assumed  by 
most  interpreters,  is  perfectly  gratuitous,  when  the  future  proper 
yields  so  good  a  sense.  This  violation  of  the  syntax  has  arisen 
from  assuming  that  the  clause  must  be  a  retrospective  descrip- 
tion of  something  already  past,  and  not  an  expression  of  jyesent 
feeling  such  as  he  might  have  uttered  at  the  moment.  That 
this  last  is  no  unnatural  hypothesis,  is  certain  from  the  fact 
that  all  interpreters  adopt  it  in  the  other  clause.  But  if  that  may 
be  the  language  of  the  sufferer  at  the  time  of  his  distress,  it  is 
equally  natural,  or  rather  more  so,  to  explain  the  first  clause  in 


62  CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 

the  same  way.  The  same  word  is  used  in  Ps.  1 19  :  122,  in  the 
sense  of  undertake  for  me  or  be  my  surdy.  i.  e.  interpose  between 
me  and  my  enemies.  The  reference  is  rather  to  protection  than 
to  justification. 

15.  What  shall  I  say?  He  hath  both  spoken  to  me,  and  himself 
hath  done  {it) ;  I  shall  go  softly  all  my  years  for  the  bitterness  of 
my  soul.  This,  which  is  substantially  the  common  version,  is 
the  one  adopted  by  most  modern  writers,  who  regard  the  A'erse 
as  an  expression  of  surprise  and  joy  at  the  deliverance  expe- 
rienced What  shall  I  say  ?  i.  e.  how  shall  I  express  my  grati- 
tude and  wonder?  He  hath  said  and  done  it,  he  has  promised 
and  performed,  perhaps  with  an  implication  that  the  promise 
was  no  sooner  given  than  fulfilled.  The  recollection  of  this 
signal  mercy  he  is  resolved  to  cherish  all  his  years,  i.  e.  through- 
out his  life,  by  going  softly,  solemnly,  or  slowly,  on  account  of  the 
bitterness  of  his  soul,  i.  e  in  recollection  of  his  sufi"erings.  Some, 
however,  understand  these  last  words  to  mean,  in  the  bitterness 
of  my  soul,  i.  e.  in  perpetual  contrition  and  humility.  But  the 
preposition  is  properly  expressive,  not  of  the  manner  of  his 
going,  but  of  its  occasion.  Compare  I  Kings  21  :  27.  Another 
interpretation  of  the  verse,  which  might,  at  first  sight,  seem 
more  natural,  regards  it  as  the  language  of  Hezekiah  during  his 
sickness,  and  as  expressive,  not  of  joy  and  wonder,  but  of  sub- 
mission. TFAa<  .s/ift/Z  J  say,  in  the  way  of  complaint?  He  hath 
both  said  and  done  it,  i,  e.  threatened  and  performed  it.  But 
this  view  of  the  first  clause  cannot  be  reconciled  with  any  natu- 
ral interpretation  of  the  second. 

16.  Lord,  upon  them  they  live,  and  as  to  everything  in  them  is 
the  life  of  my  spirit,  and  thou  wilt  recover  me  and  ma.ke  me  live. 
This  exceedingly  obscure  verse  is  now  most  generally  under- 
stood to  mean,  that  life  in  general,  and  the  life  of  Hezekiah  in 
particular,  was  dependent  on  the  power  and  promise  of  God. 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII.  63 

Upon  thern^  the  promise  and  performance  implied  in  the  verbs 
said  and  did  of  the  preceding  verse,  theij  live,  i.  e.  men  indefi- 
nitely. 

17.  Behold,  to  peace  {is  turned)  my  hitter  bitterness,  and  thou 
hast  loved  my  soul  from  the  pit  of  destruction,  because  thou  hast  cast 
behind  thy  back  all  my  sins.  The  English  Bible,  and  some  other 
versions,  put  an  opposite  meaning  on  the  clause,  as  a  descrip- 
tion, not  of  his  restoration  but  of  his  affliction.  For  peace  I  had 
great  bitterness,  or,  on  my  peace  {came)  great  bitterness.  The  other 
interpretation  agrees  better  with  the  usage  of  the  preposition 
and  makes  the  parallelism  more  exact.  We  have  here  another 
instance  of  pregnant  construction,  to  love  from,  i.  e.  so  to  love  as 
to  deliver  from.  This  sense  is  expressed  in  the  English  Bible 
by  a  circumlocution.  The  word  translated  destruction  means 
properly  nonentity,  annihilation,  here  put  for  perdition  or  de- 
struction from  the  presence  of  the  Lord  an^  from  the  glory 
of  his  power  (2  Thess.  1  :  9).  The  last  clause  shows  that  Heze- 
kiah  regarded  the  threatened  destruction  as  a  punishment  of 
sin.  To  cast  behind  one,  or  behind  one's  back,  in  Hebrew 
and  Arabic,  is  to  forget,  lose  sight  of,  or  exclude  from  view. 
The  opposite  idea  is  expressed  by  the  figure  of  setting  or  keeping 
before  one's  eyes.  (See  Ps.  90  :  8.  109  :  14,  15.  Jer.  16  :  17. 
Hos.  7:2.) 

18.  For  the  grave  shall  not  confess  thee  {iior)  death  praise  thee ; 
they  that  go  down  to  the  pit  shall  not  hope  for  thy  truth.  Here,  as 
often  in  the  li^alms,  the  loss  of  the  opportunity  of  praising  God 
is  urged  as  a  reason,  not  only  why  he  should  be  loth  to  die,  but 
why  God  should  preserve  him.  (See  Ps.  6  :  5.  30  :  9.  88  :  10, 
11.)  The  language  is  that  of  extreme  agitation  and  distress,  in 
which  the  prospect  of  the  future  is  absorbed  in  contemplation 
of  the  present,  and  so  far  as  he  does  think  of  futurity,  it  is  upon 
the  supposition  of  God's  wrath.    Regarding  death,  in  this  case, 


64  CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

as  a  proof  of  the  divine  displeasure,  he  cannot  but  look  upon  it 
as  the  termination  of  his  solemn  praises.  The  truth  mentioned 
in  the  last  clause  is  the  truth  of  God's  promises,  to  hope  for 
which  is  to  expect  the  promised  blessing. 

19.  The  living,  the  living,  he  shall  thank  thee,  like  me  (or  as  I 
do)  to-day ;  father  to  sons  shall  make  knoion,  with  respect  to  thy 
truth,  i.  e.  the  truth  of  thy  promises,  as  in  the  verse  preceding. 
Only  the  living  could  praise  God  in  that  way  to  which  the 
writer  was  accustomed,  and  on  which  bis  eye  is  here  fixed,  with 
special  reference,  no  doubt,  to  the  external  service  of  the  temple. 
The  last  clause  must  be  taken  in  a  general  sense,  as  Hezekiah 
was  himself  still  childless. 

20.  Jehovah  to  save  me  !  And  my  sotigs  ice  tcill  play,  all  the 
days  of  our  life,  at  the  house  of  Jehovah.  The  obvious  ellipsis 
in  the  first  clause  may  be  variously  filled  with  cajne,  hastened, 
commanded,  was  ready,  be  pleased,  or  with  the  verb  is,  is  to  save  for 
will  save.  The  reference  to  the  future  and  the  past  is  equally 
admissible,  since  God,  in  one  sense,  had  already  saved  him,  and 
in  another  was  to  save  him  still.  The  singular  form,  my  song, 
refers  to  Hezekiah  as  the  author  of  this  composition  ;  the  plu- 
rals, we  will  sivg  and  our  lives,  to  the  multitude  who  might  be 
expected  to  join  in  his  public  thanksgiving,  not  only  at  first,  but 
in  after  ages.  The  general  sense  is  that  of  public  and  perpetual 
praise,  the  promise  of  which  closes  this  remarkable  production. 

21.  And  Isaiah  said,  Let  them  take  a  lump  (or  cake)  of  figs,  and 
rub  them  (or  lay  them  softened)  on  the  boil  (or  injlammatioii),  and 
he  shall  live  (or  let  him  live),  i.  e.  recover.  It  is  a  common  orien- 
tal practice  to  apply  figs  to  pestilential  pustules,  for  the  purpose 
of  maturing  their  discharge. 

22.  And  Hezekiah  said,  What  sign  that  I  shall  go  up  {to)  the 


CHAPTER    XXXIX.  65 

house  of  Jehovah  ?  The  ellipsis  is  easily  supplied  by  reading, 
what  sign  dost  thou  give,  or  what  sign  is  tliere^  or  more  simply 
still,  what  is  the  sign  ?  The  question  is  more  fully  given  in 
2  Kings  20  :  8  as  follows.  Aiul  HezeJciah  said  to  Isaiah^  What 
sign  that  Jehovah  is  about  to  heal  me,  and  that  I  shall  go  up,  on 
the  third  day,  to  the  house  of  Jehovah  ?  The  reference  is  to  the 
promise  as  recorded  in  v.  5  of  the  same  chapter.  Retuim  and 
say  to  Hezekiah  the  chief  of  my  people,  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  the 
God  of  David  thy  father,  I  have  heard  thy  prayer,  I  have  seen  thy 
tears ;  behold,  I  am  about  to  heal  thee ;  on  the  third  day  thou  shall 
go  up  to  the  house  of  Jehovah.  The  last  two  verses  of  this  chap- 
ter in  Isaiah  are  evidently  out  of  their  chronological  order,  and 
the  question  has  been  raised,  whether  this  transposition  is  to  be 
ascribed  to  the  original  writer,  and  if  so  how  it  is  to  be  account- 
ed for.  The  obvious  and  simple  supposition  is  that  the  passage 
before  us  is  the  first  draught  or  original  form  of  Isaiah's  narra- 
tive, in  which  the  facts  recorded  in  these  two  last  verses  were 
added  by  a  kind  of  afterthought,  and  that  in  re-writing  the 
account,  as  a  part  of  the  national  historj',  he  naturally  placed 
them  in  their  chronological  order.  It  would  probably  be  easy 
to  produce  many  parallel  cases  from  the  correspondence  of  vo- 
luminous letter-writers,  or  from  other  cases  of  repeated  compo- 
sition on  the  same  subject  by  the  same  writer. 


CHAPTER   XXXIX. 

This  chapter  contains  an  account  of  the  Babylonian  embassy 
to  Hezekiah,  and  of  his  indiscreet  and  ostentatious  conduct, 
which  became  the  occasion  of  a  threatening  message  by  the 
hands  of  Isaiah,  predicting  the  Babylonian  conquest  and  cap- 
tivity, but  with  a  tacit  promise  of  exemption  to  the  king  him- 


66  CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

self,  and  to  the  country  while  he  lived,  which  he  received  with 
humble  acquiescence  and  thankful  acknowledgment.  The  chap- 
ter is  evidently  a  direct  continuation  of  the  narrative  before  it, 
nor  is  there  any  real  ground,  internal  or  external,  for  suspecting 
its  authenticity,  antiquity,  or  genuineness. 

1.  Li  that  tifiie,  Merodach  Baladan,  so?i  of  Balada7i,  king  of 
Babylon^  sent  letters  and  a  gift  to  Hczckiah^  and  (i.  e.  when)  he 
heard  that  he  teas  sick  and  teas  recovered.  The  first  phrase  is 
used  with  great  latitude  of  meaning,  and  may  describe  one 
event  either  as  contemporaneous  with,  another  or  as  following 
it,  at  once  or  more  remotely.  Merodach  occurs  in  Jer.  50  :  2,  as 
the  name  of  a  Babylonian  idol.  Most  of  the  modern  writers 
agree  in  identifying  this  king  with  the  Mardokirapad  of  Berosus, 
as  preserved  in  the  Armenian  version  of  Eusebius.  The  same 
authority  describes  these  Babylonian  princes,  not  as  sovereigns, 
but  as  viceroys  or  tributaries  subject  to  Assyria.  In  tliat  case, 
it  is  not  improbable  that  Merodach  Baladan  was  meditating  a 
revolt,  and  sent  this  embassy  to  gain  Hezekiah's  co-operation. 
The  congratulation  on  his  recovery  may  have  been  a  secondary 
object,  or  perhaps  a  mere  pretext.  In  2  Chron.  32:31,  a  fur- 
ther design  is  mentioned,  namely,  to  inquire  of  the  wonder  that 
was  done  in  the  la?id,  whether  this  be  understood  to  mean  the 
destruction  of  Sennacherib's  army,  or  the  miraculous  recession 
of  the  shadow.  There  is  no  incompatibility  between  these 
different  designs.  Perhaps  an  embassy  is  seldom  sent  to  such 
a  distance  with  a  single  undivided  errand. 

2.  And  Hezekiah  was  glad  of  them.,  and  shoioed  them  his  house 
of  rarities.,  the  silver,  and  the  gold,  and  the  spices,  and  the  good  oil 
(or  ointment),  and  all  his  house  of  arms,  and  all  that  was  found  in 
his  treasures ;  there  was  not  a  thing  which  Hezekiah  did  not  show 
them,  in  his  house  and  in  all  his  dominion.  The  parallel  passage 
(2  Kings  20  :  13)  has  and  he  hearkened  unto  them.     There  is  no 


CHAPTER    XXXIX.  67 

need  of  regarding  either  as  an  error  of  transcription,  or  as  the 
correction  of  a  later  writer.  Nothing  could  be  more  natural 
than  such  a  variation  on  the  part  of  the  original  writer,  describ- 
ing Hezekiah's  feelings  in  the  one  case  and  bis  conduct  in  the 
other.  He  hearkened  to  them  courteously  because  he  was  glad 
of  their  arrival.  The  goodly  or  precious  oil  is  supposed  by  some 
to  have  been  that  used  in  the  unction  of  kings  and  priests,  or 
perhaps  applied  to  more  ordinary  purposes  in  the  royal  house- 
bold. 

3.  Then  came  Isaiah  the  prophet  to  the  king  Hezekiah^  and  said 
to  him,  What  said  these  men,  and  whence  came  tlicy  unto  thee  ?  And 
Hczekiah  said,  From  a  far  country  came  they  unto  me,  from  Baby- 
lon. The  Prophet  was  not  sent  for  by  the  king,  as  in  ch.  37 : 
2 ;  but  be  was  no  doubt  sent  by  God,  and  came  in  his  ofl&cial 
character.  The  statement  in  Chronicles  is  that  God  lift  him,  to 
try  him,  to  know  all  in  his  heart  (2  Chr.  32  :  31).  This  may  in- 
clude the  sins  of  vain  ostentation  and  of  distrUst  in  God,  show- 
ing itself  in  a  longing  after  foreign  alliances.  A  far  country  is 
nothing  more  than  a  familiar  designation  of  Babylon  or  Baby- 
lonia. 

4.  And  he  said,  What  have  they  seen  in  thy  house  ?  And  Heze- 
kiali  said,  All  that  is  in  my  house  have  they  seen ;  there  is  not  a 
thing  that  I  have  not  showed  them  in  my  treasures.  The  frank- 
ness of  the  answer  here  recorded  rather  shows,  that  there  was 
DO  attempt  at  concealment  from  the  first.  It  was  not  until  the 
Prophet  questioned  him,  that  Hezekiah  became  aware  of  the 
error  which  he  had  committed. 

5.  And  Isaiah  said  to  Hezekiah,  Hear  the  tvord  of  Jehovah  of 
Hosts.  This  form  of  expression  gives  to  what  follows  the  solem- 
nity and  authority  of  a  divine  decree.  The  parallel  passage 
(2  Kings  20:  16)  omits  Hosts. 


68  CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

6.  Behold^  clays  {are)  coming.,  when  all  that  (is)  m  thy  house., 
atid  that  which  thy  fathers  have  hoarded  until  this  day,  shall  be 
carried  to  Babylon  ;  there  shall  not  be  left  a  thing  (literally  a  word), 
saith  Jehovah.  Observe  the  exact  correspondence  of  the  pun- 
ishment with  the  offence.  As  the  Babylonians  had  seen  all, 
they  should  one  day  tahe  all ;  as  nothing  had  been  withheld 
from  them  now,  so  nothing  should  be  withheld  from  them  here- 
after. To  those  who  are  under  no  unhappy  necessity  of  ex- 
plaining away  the  clearest  proofs  of  inspiration  and  prophetic 
foresight,  this  passage  afl'ords  a  striking  instance  of  the  gi-adual 
development  of  prophecy.  The  general  threatening  of  expatria- 
tion had  been  uttered  seven  hundred  years  before  by  Moses 
(Lev.  26  :  33,  Deut.  28  :  64-67.  30  :  3).  Five  hundred  years 
later,  Ahijah  had  declared  that  Israel  should  be  rooted  up  and 
scattered  beyond  the  river  (I  Kings  14  :  15).  Within  a  hundred 
years,  they  had  been  threatened  by  Amos  with  captivity  beyond 
Damascus  (Am.  5  :  27).  Isaiah  himself  had  obscurely  intimated 
a  future  connection  between  the  fortunes  of  Israel  and  Babylon 
(ch.  14  :  1.  21  :  10).  But  here,  for  the  first  time,  the  Babylonish 
exile  is  explicitly  foretold,  unless  the  similar  prediction  of  the 
contemporary  prophet  Micah  (4  :  10)  be  considered  earlier.  The 
fulfilment  of  the  prophecy  began  in  the  deportation  of  Manasseh 
(2  Chron.  33:  11),  but  was  described  as  something  still  pros- 
pective by  Jeremiah  (20 :  5),  in  whose  days  and  in  the  reign  of 
Zedeldah.  it  was  at  length  fully  accomplished  (2  Chron  36: 
18).  To  the  objection,  that  a  national  calamity  of  this  descrip- 
tion bears  no  proportion  to  the  fault  of  Hezeldah,  there  is  no 
need  of  any  other  answer  than  that  Hezekiah's  fault  was  not 
the  cause  but  the  occasion  of  the  punishment  which  fell  upon 
the  people,  or  rather  of  its  being  so  explicitly  predicted  in  the 
case  before  us.  The  punishment  of  Hezekiah's  individual  fault 
was  included  in  the  punishment  of  Israel  for  national  offences. 

7.  And  of  thy  sons  that  shall  issue  from  thee,  which  thou  shalt 


CHAPTER    XXXrX.  69 

heget^  shall  they  take  away^  and  Ihcy  shall  be  eunuchs  in  the  palace 
of  the  king  of  Babylon.  The  future  form  of  the  expression  in 
the  first  clause  has  respect  to  the  fact  that  Hezekiah  had  as  yet 
no  children.  (See  above  on  ch.  38:  2.)  They  shall  take  may 
either  be  an  indefinite  construction,  or  agree  with  the  Babylo- 
nians understood.  Instead  of  they  shall  take.,  the  parallel  pas- 
sage (2  Kings  20:  17)  has  the  singular  he  shall  take,  which  is 
equally  correct  and  regular,  in  a  case  of  indefinite  construction. 
The  fulfilment  of  this  prophecy  is  recorded  in  2  Kings  24: 
12-16  and  Dan.  1  :  1-7,  and  that  so  clearly,  that  the  neologists 
are  driven  to  their  usual  supposition  of  an  interpolation,  or  of 
such  an  alteration  as  to  make  the  terms  of  the  prediction  more 
determinate. 

8.  And  Hezekiah  said  to  haiah,  Good  is  the  uwrd  of  Jehovah 
tohich  thou  hast  spoken.  And  he  said.  Fur  there  shall  be  peace  and 
truth  in  my  days.  The  word  good  is  here  used,  neither  in  the 
sense  of  gracious  nor  in  that  of  just  exclusively,  but  in  that  of 
right,  as  comprehending  botli.  While  the  king  acquiesces  in 
the  threatening  prophecy  as  righteous  and  deserved,  he  grate- 
fully acknowledges  the  mercy  with  which  it  is  tempered.  That 
he  looked  upon  the  woes  denounced  against  his  children  as  a 
personal  misfortune  of  his  own,  is  clear  from  his  regarding  the 
postponement  of  the  execution  as  a  mitigation  of  the  sentence 
on  himself  The  expression  of  thankfulness  at  this  exemption 
shows  how  true  the  narrative  is  to  nature  and  experience.  It 
was  not  more  cleai'ly  Hezekiah's  duty  to  submit  without  a  mur- 
mur to  God's  threatening,  than  it  was  to  accept  with  gratitude 
the  exemption  promised  to  himself.  The  words,  %vhich  thou  hast 
spoken,  are  emphatic,  and  intended  to  recognize  Isaiah  as  an 
authoritative  messenger  from  God.  The  repetition  of  the  verb 
he  said  implies  a  pause  or  interval  however  short.  Peace  may 
be  here  taken  in  the  wide  sense  of  prosperity,  but  with  special 
reference  to  its  proper  import,  as  denoting  exemption  from  war. 


70  CHAPTER    XL. 

Truth  has  its  primary  etymological  sense  oi  permanence,  stabilitT/^ 
in  which  the  ideas  of  fidelity  and  veracity  may  be  included,  as 
effects  necessarily  imply  their  cause. 


y  • 


rV'i 


CHAPTER   XL. 


A  GLORIOUS  change  awaits  the  church,  consisting  in  a  new 
and  gracious  manifestation  of  Jehovah's  presence,  for  which 
his  people  are  exhorted  to  prepare,  vs.  1-5.  Though  one 
generation  perish  after  another,  this  promise  shall  eventually 
be  fulfilled,  because  it  rests  not  upon  human  but  divine  au- 
thority, vs.  6-8.  Zion  may  even  now  see  him  approaching  as 
the  conqueror  of  his  enemies,  and  at  the  same  time  as  the 
shepherd  of  his  people,  vs  9-11.  The  fulfilment  of  these 
pledges  is  insured  by  his  infinite  wisdom,  his  almighty  power, 
and  his  independence  both  of  individuals  and  nations,  vs.  12-17. 
How  much  more  is  he  superior  to  material  images,  by  which 
men  represent  him  or  supply  his  place,  vs.  18-25.  The  same 
power  which  sustains  the  heavens  is  pledged  for  the  support 
of  Israel,  vs.  26-31. 

The  specific  application  of  this  chapter  to  the  return  from 
Babylon  is  without  the  least  foundation  in  the  text  itself.  The 
promise  is  a  general  one  of  consolation,  protection,  and  change 
for  the  better,  to  be  wrought  by  the  power  and  wisdom  of  Je- 
hovah, which  are  contrasted,  first,  with  those  of  men,  of  nations, 
and  of  rulers,  then  with  the  utter  impotence  of  idols.  That 
the  ultimate  fulfilment  of  the  promise  was  still  distant,  is  im- 
plied in  the  exhortation  to  faith  and  patience.  The  reference 
to  idolatry  proves  nothing  with  respect  to  the  date  of  the  pre- 
diction, although  more  appropriate  in  the  writings  of  Isaiah 


CHAPTER    XL.  71 

than  of  a  prophet  in  the  Babylonish  exile.  It  is  evidently 
meant,  however,  to  condemn  idolatry  in  general,  and  more 
particularly  all  the  idolatrous  defections  of  the  Israelites  under 
the  old  economy. 

1.  Comfort  ye.  comfort  ye  my  people^  saith  your  God.  This 
command  is  not  addressed  specifically  to  the  priests  or  pro- 
phets, much  less  to  the  messengers  from  Babylon  announcing- 
the  restoration  of  the  Jews,  but  to  any  who  might  be  supposed 
to  hear  the  order,  as  in  ch.  13  :  2,  or  to  the  people  themselves, 
who  are  then  required  to  encourage  one  another,  as  in  ch. 
35  :  3,  4.  The  imperative  form  of  the  expression  is  poetical. 
Instead  of  declaring  his  own  purpose,  God  summons  men  to 
execute  it.  Instead  of  saying,  I  icill  comfort.,  he  says,  comfort  ye. 
The  same  idea  might  have  been  expressed  by  saying,  in  the 
third  person.  Id  tliem  comfort  her.,  or  in  the  passive  voice,  let  her 
be  comforted.  The  possessive  pronouns  are  entphatic,  and  sug- 
gest that,  notwithstanding  what  they  suffered,  they  were  still 
Jehovah's  people,  he  was  still  their  God.  There  is  also  mean- 
ing in  the  repetition  of  the  verb  at  the  beginning.  Such  repe- 
titions are  not  unfrequcnt  in  the  earlier  prophecies.  (See  ch. 
24  :  16.  2G  :  3.  29  :  1.  38  :  1 1,  17,  19.)  The  prefatory  exhorta- 
tion in  this  verse  affords  a  key  to  the  whole  prophecy,  as  being 
consolatory  in  its  tone  and  purpose  There  is  evident  allusion 
to  the  threatening  in  ch.  39  :  7.  Having  there  predicted  the 
captivity  in  Babylon,  as  one  of  the  successive  strokes,  by  which 
the  fall  of  Israel  as  a  nation  and  the  total  loss  of  its  peculiar 
privileges  should  be  brought  about,  the  Prophet  is  now  sent  to 
assure  the  spiritual  Israel,  the  true  people  of  Jehovah,  that 
although  the  Jewish  nation  should  soon  cease  to  be  externally 
identified  with  the  church,  the  church  itself  should  not  only 
continue  to  exist,  but  in  a  far  more  glorious  state  than  ever 
This  is  the  "  people"  here  meant,  and  this  the  "  comfort" 
wherewith  they  were  to  be  comforted. 


12  CHAPTER    XL. 

2.  Speak  to  (or  according  to)  the  heart  of  Jerusalem^  and  cry  to 
her,  that  her  warfare  is  accomplished,  that  her  iniquity  is  pardoned, 
that  she  hath  received  from  the  hand  of  Jehovah  double  for  all  her 
sins.  By  speaking  to  the  heart,  we  are  to  understand  speaking 
so  as  to  affect  the  heart  or  feelings,  and  also  in  accordance  with 
the  heart  or  wishes,  i.  e.  what  the  person  addressed  desires  or 
needs  to  hear.  Jerusalem  is  here  put  for  the  church  or  chosen 
people,  whose  metropolis  it  was,  and  for  whose  sake  the  place 
itself  was  precious  in  the  sight  of  God.  Warfare  includes  the 
two  ideas  of  appointed  time  and  hard  service,  in  which  sense 
the  verb  and  noun  are  both  applied  to  the  routine  of  sacerdo- 
tal functions  (Num.  4  :  23.  8  :  24,  25),  but  here  still  more  ex- 
pressively to  the  old  dispensation,  as  a  period  of  restriction  and 
constraint.  The  continuance  of  the  ceremonial  system  and  the 
hardships  of  the  old  dispensation  are  here  and  elsewhere  rep- 
resented as  chastisements  due  to  the  defections  of  the  chosen 
people,  notwithstanding  which  they  should  continue  to  exist, 
and  in  a  far  more  glorious  character,  not  as  a  national  church, 
but  as  a  spiritual  church,  set  free  from  ritual  and  local  fetters. 

3.  A  voice  crying — in  the  zvilderness — clear  the  way  of  Jehovah 
— 7nake  straight  (or  level)  in  the  desert  a  highway  for  our  God. 
The  Septuagint  version,  retained  in  the  New  Testament,  is 
<jpw*'i>l  ^oSiPiog^  (the  voice  of  one  crying)  which  amounts  to  the  same 
thing.  Both  in  the  Hebrew  and  the  Greek,  the  words  in  the 
wilderness  may  be  connected  either  with  what  follows  or  with 
what  precedes ;  but  the  usual  division  is  more  natural,  and  the 
other  has  been  insisted  upon  chiefly  for  the  purpose  of  rendering 
the  verse  inapplicable  to  John  the  Baptist,  who  came  preaching 
in  a  wilderness,  and  to  whom  the  words  are  applied  expressly  in 
Matthew  3  :  3,  Mark  I  :  3,  Luke  3  :  4,  as  the  herald  of  the  new 
dispensation.  Those  who  deny  the  inspiration  of  the  Prophet 
are  compelled  to  reject  this  as  a  mere  accommodation,  and  apply 
the  verse  exclusively  to  the   return  from  Babylon,   of  which 


CHAPTER   XL.  13 

there  is  no  mention  in  the  text  or  context.  It  is  said  indeed 
that  God  is  here  represented  as  marching  at  the  head  of  his 
returning  people.  But  in  all  the  cai^es  which  Lowth  cites  as 
parallel,  there  is  express  allusion  to  the  exodus  from  Egypt. 
Here,  on  the  contrary,  the  only  image  presented  is  that  of  God 
returning  to  Jerusalem,  revisiting  his  people,  as  he  did  in  every 
signal  manifestation  of  his  presence,  but  above  all  at  the  advent 
of  Messiah  and  the  opening  of  the  new  dispensation.  The 
verb  rendered  prepare  denotes  a  particular  kind  of  preparation, 
viz.  the  removal  of  obstructions,  as  appears  from  Gen.  24  :  31, 
Lev.  14  :  36,  and  may  therefore  be  expressed  by  clear  in  Eng- 
lish. The  parallel  verb  means  reclify  or  make  straight,  either 
in  reference  to  obliquity  of  course  or  to  unevenness  of  surface, 
most  probably  the  latter,  in  which  case  it  may  be  expressed  by 
level.  To  a  general  term  meaning  u-ay  or  ^^^^A  is  added  a  spe- 
cific one  denoting  an  artificial  causeway  raised  above  the  sur- 
face of  the  earth.  There  is  no  need  of  supposing  that  the 
Prophet  here  alludes  to  any  particular  usage  ef  the  oriental 
sovereigns,  or  that  the  order  of  the  first  and  second  verses  is 
continued  (let  there  be  a  voice  crying).  The  Prophet  is  describ- 
ing  what   he   actually  hears — a  voice  crying! — or,  hark,  one 


4.  Every  valley  shall  be  raised  and  every  mountaiyi  and  hill 
brought  low.,  and  the  uneven  shall  become  level  and  the  ridges  a 
plain.  This  may  be  considered  as  an  explanation  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  way  of  the  Lord  was  to  be  prepared.  The 
common  version  {exalted)  seems  to  imply  that  the  valleys  and 
mountains  were  to  exchange  places ;  but  this  would  not  facili- 
tate the  passage,  which  requires  that  both  should  be  reduced  to 
a  common  level.  The  whole  impression  here  intended  to  be 
made  is  that  of  a  way  opened  through  a  wilderness  by  levelling 
the  ground  and  the  removal  of  obstructions,  as  a  natural  image 
for  the  removal  of  the  hinderances  to  God's  revisiting  his  people. 

VOL.  II. — 4 


74  CHAPTER   XL. 

5.  And  the  glory  of  Jehovah  shall  be  revealed^  and  all  flesh  shall 
see  {it),  for  the  mouth  of  Jehovah  speaks  (or  haJh  spoken).  The 
idea  seems  to  be  that  as  soon  as  tlie  way  is  opened,  the  Lord 
will  show  himself.  To  see  God's  glory,  is  a  common  expres- 
sion for  recognizing  his  presence  and  agency  in  any  event. 
(See  Exod.  16  :  7.  Is.  35  :  2.  66  :  18.)  The  specific  reference 
of  this  verse  to  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  from  exile  is  not 
only  gratuitous  hut  inconsistent  with  the  strength  and  compre- 
hensiveness of  its  expressions.  The  simple  meaning  is,  that 
when  the  way  should  be  prepared,  the  glory  of  God  would  be 
universally  displayed  ;  a  promise  too  extensive  to  be  fully  veri- 
fied in  that  event  or  period  of  history. 

6.  A  voice  saying,  Cry  I  And  he  said  (or  says),  What  shall 
I  cry?  All  flesh  is  grass,  and  all  its  favour  like  a  flower  of  the 
field !  The  force  and  beauty  of  the  verse  are  much  impaired 
by  any  version  which  does  not  represent  the  writer  as  actually 
hearing  what  he  thus  describes.  There  is  a  pleasing  mystery 
in  the  dialogue  of  those  anonymous  voices,  which  is  dispelled 
by  undertaking  to  determine  too  precisely  who  the  speakers 
are.  All  that  the  words  necessarily  convey  is,  that  one  voice 
speaks  and  another  voice  answers.  Interpreters  are  univer- 
sally agreed  that  the  last  clause  contains  the  words  which  the 
second  speaker  is  required  to  utter.  It  is  possible,  however, 
to  connect  these  words  immediately  with  what  precedes,  and 
understand  them  as  presenting  an  objection  to  the  required 
proclamation.  What  shall  (or  can)  I  cry,  [since)  all  flesh  is 
grass  etc.  The  advantages  of  this  construction  are.  that  it  as- 
sumes no  change  of  speaker  where  none  is  intimated  in  the 
text,  and  that  it  does  away  with  an  alleged  tautology,  as  will 
be  seen  below.  According  to  the  usual  construction  we  are  to 
supply  before  the  last  clause,  a?id  the  first  voice  said  again  (or 
answered),  C ry  as  follows  :  All  flesh  Qia.  This  last  phrase  is 
here  used,  not  in  its  widest  sense,  as  comprehending  the  whole 


CHAPTER    XL.  lo 

animal  world,  but  in  its  more  restricted  application  to  mankind, 
of  which  some  examples  may  be  found  in  the  New  Testament 
(John  17:2.  Rom.  3  :  20).  The  comparison  of  human  frailty 
to  grass  is  common  in  the  Scriptures.  The  contrast  is  between 
the  shortlived  and  precarious  favour  of  man  and  the  infallible 
promise  of  God.  The  quotation  in  1  Pet.  1  :  24,  25,  confirms 
the  supposition,  here  suggested  by  the  context,  that  the  words 
have  reference  to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  or  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  new  dispensation. 

7.  Dried  is  the  grass,  faded  thefloioer ;  for  the  breath  of  Jehovah 
has  blown  wpon  it.  Surely  the  people  is  grass.  The  present  form 
usually  given  to  the  verbs  conveys  the  sense  correctly  as  a  general 
proposition,  but  not  in  its  original  shape  as  a  description  of 
what  has  actually  happened,  and  may  be  expected  to  occur 
again. 

8.  Dried  is  the  grass,  faded  the  flower,  and  thi  ioord  of  our  God 
shall  stand  forever.  The  comparatively  rare  use  of  adversative 
particles  in  Hebrew  is  exemplifie:!  in  this  verse,  in  which  the 
relation  of  the  clauses  can  be  fully  expressed  in  Eoglish  only 
by  means  of  the  word  but.  By  word  he  means  neither  promise, 
nor  prophecy,  nor  gospel  merely,  but  every  ivord  that  proceeddh 
out  of  the  mouth  of  God  (Deut.  8:3!  Matt.  4:4).  There  is  a 
tacit  antithesis  between  the  word  of  God  and  man  ;  what  man 
says  is  uncertain  and  precarious,  what  God  says  cannot  fail. 
Thus  understood  it  includes  prediction,  precept,  promise,  and 
the  offer  of  salvation,  and  although  the  latter  is  not  meant 
exclusively,  the  Apostle  makes  a  perfectly  correct  and  most 
important  application  of  the  verse  when,  after  quoting  it,  he 
adds,  and  this  is  the  word  which  is  preached  {svayyehad^Ev)  unto 
you,  that  is  to  say,  this  prophetic  declaration  is  emphatically 
true  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  To  stand  forever  is  a  common 
Hebrew  phrase  for  perpetuity,  security,  and  sure  fulfilment. 


IQ  CHAPTER   XL. 

The  expression  our  God  contains,  as  usual,  a  reference  to  the 
covenant  relation  between  Grod  and  his  people.  It  is  possible 
to  avoid  the  appearance  of  tautology  and  give  the  passage 
a  dramatic  form,  by  making  the  last  clause  of  v  6  and 
the  whole  of  v.  7  a  continuation  of  the  words  of  the  second 
voice,  and  then  regarding  v.  8  as  a  rejoinder  by  the  first  voice. 
The  whole  may  then  be  paraphrased  as  follows.  A  voice  says. 
Cry !  And  (another  voice)  says,  What  shall  I  cry  (i.  e.  to  what 
purpose  can  I  cry,  or  utter  promises  like  those  recorded  in 
vs.  1-5),  -since  all  flesh  is  grass  etc.  ;  the  grass  withereth  etc.  ; 
surely  the  people  is  grass  (and  cannot  be  expected  to  witness 
the  fulfilment  of  these  promises).  But  the  first  voice  says 
again :  The  grass  does  wither,  and  the  flower  does  fade ;  but 
these  events  depend  not  on  the  life  of  man,  but  on  the  word  of 
God,  and  the  word  of  God  shall  stand  forever. 

9.  Uj)on  a  high  mountain  get  thee  up,  bringer  of  good  7iews, 
Zion  !  Raise  unth  strength  thy  voice,  bringer  of  good  ncivs,  Jeru- 
salem !  Raise  (it),  fear  not,  say  to  the  towns  of  Judah,  Lo  your 
God  !  The  reflective  form,^e^  thee  up,  though  not  a  literal  trans- 
lation, is  an  idiomatic  equivalent  to  the  Hebrew  phrase  {ascend 
for  thee  or  for  thyself).  Some  suppose  an  allusion  to  the  prac- 
tice of  addressing  large  assemblies  from  the  summit  or  acclivity 
of  hills.  (See  Judges  9  :  7.  Deut.  27  :  12.  Matt.  5:1.)  But  the 
essential  idea  is  that  of  local  elevation  as  extending  the  dif- 
fusion of  the  sound.  Zion  or  Jerusalem  herself  is  represented 
as  the  bearer  of  good  tidings  to  the  towns  of  Judah.  This  con- 
struction is  recommended  by  the  beautiful  personification,  which 
it  introduces,  of  the  Holy  City  as  the  seat  of  the  true  religion 
and  the  centre  of  the  church.  The  office  here  ascribed  to  it  is 
the  same  that  is  recognized  in  ch.  2  :  3  :  the  law  shall  go  forth  from 
Zion,  a7id  the  word  of  the  Lord  from  Jerusale?n.  Not  only  in  the 
restoration  from  captivity,  or  in  the  personal  advent  of  the 
Saviour,  but  in  every  instance  of  the  Lord's  return  to  his  for- 


CHAPTER    XL.  1'J 

saken  people,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  church  to  communicate  as 
well  as  to  receive  the  joyful  tidings. 

10.  Lo,  ike  Lord  Jehovah  toill  come  (or  ix  coming)  m  {the  person 
of)  a  strong  07ie,  and  his  arm  {is)  ruling  for  him.  Lo^  his  hire  is 
with  him  and  his  wages  before  him.  The  double  lo  represents 
the  object  as  already  appearing  or  in  sight.  What  God  is  said 
to  do  himself  in  one  case,  he  is  represented  in  the  other  as 
accomplishing  by  means  of  a  powerful  instrument  or  agent, 
which,  however,  is  defined  no  further.  The  essential  meaning  is 
that  Jehovah  was  about  to  make  a  signal  exhibition  of  his  power. 
The  participle  rulings  in  the  next  clause,  is  expressive  of  contin- 
uous action.  The  clause  is  a  poetical  description  of  the  arm  as 
acting  independently  of  its  possessor,  and  as  it  were  in  his 
behalf  The  two  verses  may  be  readily  connected,  without  any 
change  of  figure,  by  supposing  that  the  lost  sheep  which  he  has 
recovered  are  the  recompense  referred  to  in  the^erse  before  us. 
Thus  understood,  the  passage  may  have  furnished  the  occasion 
and  the  basis  of  our  Saviour's  beautiful  description  of  himself 
as  the  true  shepherd,  who  lays  down  his  life  for  the  sheep,  as 
well  as  the  figure  drawn  from  the  recovery  of  a  lost  sheep  to 
illustrate  the  rejoicing  in  heaven  over  one  repentant  sinner.  It 
is  probable,  not  only  that  Jehovah  is  here  represented  as  re- 
ceiving a  reward,  but  that  there  is  special  reference  to  the  rec- 
ompense of  the  Messiah's  sufferings  and  obedience  by  the  re- 
demption of  his  people.  According  to  the  view  which  has  been 
taken  of  the  nexus  between  these  two  verses,  before  him  may 
possibly  contain  an  allusion  to  the  shepherd's  following  his  flock  ; 
but  it  admits  of  a  more  obvious  and  simple  explanation,  as 
denoting  that  his  recompense  is  not  only  sure  but  actually 
realized,  being  already  in  his  sight  or  presence,  and  ivith  him, 
i.  e.  in  immediate  possession. 

11.  Like  a  shepherd  his  flock  will  he  feed.,  with  his  arm  will  he 


78  CHAPTEUXL. 

gather  the  lambs,  and  in  his  bosom  carry  {them) ;  the  nursmg  (etces) 
he  will  {gently)  lead.  Although  the  meaning  of  this  verse  is 
plain,  it  is  not  easily  translated,  on  account  of  the  peculiar  fit- 
ness and  significancy  of  the  terms  employed.  The  word  cor- 
rectly rendered  feed  denotes  the  whole  care  of  a  shepherd  for 
his  flock,  and  has  therefore  no  exact  equivalent  in  English. 
To  gather  icith  the  arm  coincides  very  nearly,  although  not  pre- 
cisely, with  our  phrase  to  take  up  in  the  arms.  A  very  similar 
idea  is  expressed  by  hearing  in  the  bosom.  The  passage  is  de- 
scriptive of  the  whole  relation  which  Jehovah  sustains  to  his 
people,  as  their  shepherd,  and  of  which  inferior  but  real  exhi- 
bitions were  afforded  long  before  the  advent  of  the  Saviour ; 
for  example,  in  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  from  exile,  which  is 
no  more  to  be  excluded  from  the  scope  of  this  prophetic  picture 
than  to  be  regarded  as  its  only  subject. 

12.  Who  hath  measured  the  waters  in  the  hollow  of  his  ha7id, 
and  meted  out  heaven  with  the  spa?i,  and  comprehended  in  a  measure 
the  dust  of  the  earth.,  and  weighed  in  a  balance  the  vioiintains,  and 
the  hills  in  scales  ?  There  are  two  directly  opposite  opinions  as 
to  the  general  idea  here  expressed.  Some  understand  the 
question  as  an  indirect  negation  of  the  possibility  of  doing  what 
is  here  described.  The  implied  answer,  upon  this  hypothesis, 
is,  No  one,  and  the  verse  is  equivalent  to  the  exclamation,  How 
immense  are  the  works  of  God !  The  other  and  more  usual 
interpretation  understands  the  question  thus  :  Who  (but  God) 
has  measured  or  can  measure  etc.  1  Thus  understood,  the  verse, 
so  far  from  affirming  the  immensity  of  God's  works,  represents 
them  as  little  in  comparison  with  him,  who  measures  and  dis- 
tributes them  with  perfect  ease.  The  first  explanation  derives 
some  countenance  from  the  analogy  of  the  next  verse,  where 
the  question  certainly  involves  an  absolute  negation,  and  is 
tantamount  to  saying,  that  no  one  does  or  can  do  what  is  there 
described.     But  this  consideration  is  not  sufficient  to  outweigh 


CHAPTER   XL.  79 

the  argument  in  favour  of  the  other  explanation,  arising  from 
its  greater  simplicity  and  obviousness  in  this  connection.  In 
order  to  convey  the  idea  of  immensity,  the  largest  measures, 
not  the  smallest,  would  have  been  employed.  An  object  might 
be  too  large  to  be  weighed  in  scales,  or  held  in  the  hollow  of  a 
man's  hand,  and  yet  very  far  from  being  immense  or  even  vast 
in  its  dimensions.  On  the  other  hand,  the  smallness  of  the 
measure  is  entirely  appropriate  as  showing  the  immensity  of 
God  himself,  who  can  deal  with  the  whole  universe  as  man 
deals  with  the  most  minute  and  trivial  objects.  A  handful  is 
here  put  for  the  receptacle  or  measure  of  that  quantity.  The 
span  is  mentioned  as  a  natural  and  univeral  measure  of  length. 
The  terms  used  in  the  English  Bible,  scales  and  balance^  are 
retained  above  but  transposed,  in  order  to  a(dhere  more  closely 
to  the  form  of  the  original,  in  which  the  first  word  is  a  singular 
while  the  other  is  a  dual,  strictly  denoting  a  pair  of  scales. 
The  dust  of  the  earth  seems  to  be  here  put  poetically  for  the 
earth  itself.  The  literal  comprehension  of  the  earth  in  this 
specific  measure  is  impossible,  and  all  that  the  words  were  in- 
tended to  suggest  is  a  comparison  between  the  customary 
measurement  of  common  things  by  man,  and  the  analogous 
control  which  is  exercised  by  God  over  all  his  works. 

13.  Who  hath  measured  the  spirit  of  Jehovah,  and  (who,  as)  the 
man  of  his  counsel,  will  teach  him  (or  cause  him  to  know)  ?  The 
natural  connection  seems  to  be,  that  he  who  weighs  the  hills 
etc.  must  himself  be  independent,  boundless,  and  unsearchable. 
The  last  clause  is  not  an  answer  to  the  first,  but  a  continuation 
of  the  question.  Both  tenses  seem  to  have  been  used,  as  in 
many  other  cases,  for  the  purpose  of  making  the  implied  nega- 
tion more  exclusive.      Who  has,  and  tvho  will  or  can  ? 

14.  Whom  did  he  consult  (or  with  whom  took  he  counsel)  and  he 
made  him  understand,  and  taught  him  in  the  2>(i-th  of  judgment^ 


80  CHAPTER    XL. 

and  taught  him  knowledge,  and  the  ivay  of  mider standing  [ivho) 
will  make  him  know  ?  The  consecution  of  the  tenses  is  the 
same  as  in  the  foregoing  verse.  By  judgment  we  must  either 
understand  discretion,  in  which  case  the  whole  phrase  will  be 
synonymous  ya'iih.  loay  of  understanding  va.  the  parallel  clause; 
or  rectitude,  in  which  case  the  whole  phrase  will  mean  the  right 
way,  not  in  a  moral  sense,  but  in  that  of  a  way  conducting  to 
the  end  desired,  the  right  way  to  attain  that  end.  As  these 
are  only  different  expressions  of  the  same  essential  idea,  the 
question  is  of  little  exegetical  importance.  The  first  clause  of 
this  verse  is  quoted  in  Rom.  11  :  34,  with  the  following  words 
added,  or  who  hath  first  given  to  him,  and  it  shall  be  recompensed 
unto  him  again  ?  It  is  probable  that  the  words  were  introduced 
into  the  Septuagint  from  the  text  in  Romans,  where  they  are 
really  no  part  of  the  quotation  from  Isaiah,  but  the  apostle's 
own  paraphrase  of  it  or  addition  to  it,  the  form  of  which  may 
have  been  suggested  by  the  first  clause  of  Job  41  :  11.  Such 
allusive  imitations  occur  elsewhere  in  Paul's  writings.  (See 
vol.  I.  p.  379.)  In  the  present  case,  the  addition  agrees  fully 
with  the  spirit  of  the  passage  quoted ;  since  the  aid  in  question, 
if  it  had  been  afforded,  would  be  fairly  entitled  to  a  recompense. 

15.  Lo,  nations  as  a  drop  from  a  bucket,  and  as  dust  on  scales 
are  reckoned;  lo,  islands  as  an  atom  he  loill  take  up.  He  is  in- 
dependent, not  only  of  nature  and  of  individual  men,  but  of 
nations.  Both  members  of  the  clause  are  to  be  construed  with 
the  verb  at  the  end.  Dust  of  the  scales  or  balance,  i.  e.  dust  rest- 
ing on  itj  but  without  affecting  its  equilibrium. 

16.  And  Lebanon  is  not  enough  for  burning,  and  its  beasts  are 
not  enough  for  a  sacrifice.  The  supremacy  and  majesty  of  God 
are  now  presented  in  a  more  religious  aspect,  by  expressions 
borrowed  from  the  Mosaic  ritual.  He  is  not  only  independent 
of  the  power  but  also  of  the  good-will  of  his  creatures.     This 


CHAPTER    XL.  81 

general  allusion  to  oblation,  as  an  act  of  homage  or  of  friend- 
ship, suits  the  connection  better  than  a  specific  reference  to  ex- 
piation. The  insufficiency  of  these  sufferings  is  set  forth,  not 
in  a  formal  proposition,  but  by  means  of  a  striking  individuali- 
zation. For  general  terras  he  substitutes  one  striking  instance, 
and  asserts  of  that  what  might  be  asserted  of  the  rest.  If 
Lebanon  could  not  suffice,  what  could  ?  (Compare  with  this 
verse  ch.  66  :  1.    1  Kings  8  :  27.  2  Chr.  6  :  18.  Ps.  50  :  8-13.) 

17.  All  tlie  nations  as  nothing  before  him^  less  than  nothing  and 
vanity  are  counted  to  him.  The  proposition  of  v.  15  is  repeated, 
but  in  still  more  absolute  and  universal  terms.  Instead  of 
nations.^  he  says  all  the  nations;  instead  of  likening  them  to 
grains  of  sand  or  drops  of  water,  he  denies  their  very  being. 
Before  him  does  not  simply  mean  in  his  view  or  estimation,  but 
in  comparison  with  him.  So  too  the  parallel  expression  does 
not  mean  by  him.  but  with  respect  to  him,  or  simply  to  him  in  the 
same  sense  as  when  we  say  that  one  thing  or  person  is  nothing 
to  another,  i.  e.  not  to  be  compared  with  it.  The  same  use  of 
to,  even  without  a  negative,  is  clear  from  such  expressions  as 
"  Hyperion  to  a  Satyr."  That  God  is  the  arbiter  who  thus  de- 
cides between  himself  and  his  creatures,  is  still  implied  in  both 
the  phrases,  although  not  the  sole  or  even  prominent  idea  meant 
to  be  expressed  by  either.  The  verse  contains  the  strongest 
possible  expression  of  insignificance  and  even  non-existence,  as 
predicable  even  of  whole  nations,  in  comparison  with  God,  and 
in  his  presence. 

18.  Aiid  (7iow)  to  whom  will  ye  liken  God,  and  what  likeness 
will  ye  compare  to  him  ?  The  inevitable  logical  conclusion  from 
the  previous  considerations  is  that  God  is  One  and  that  there  is 
no  other.  From  this,  the  Prophet  now  proceeds  to  argue,  that  it 
is  folly  to  compare  God  even  with  the  most  exalted  creature, 
how  much  more  with  lifeless  matter.     The  logical  relation  of 

4* 


82  CHAPTER    XL. 

this  verse  to  what  precedes,  although  not  indicated  in  the  text, 
may  be  rendered  clearer  by  the  introduction  of  an  illative 
particle  {then,  therefore,  etc.),  or  more  simply  by  inserting  now, 
which  is  often  used  in  such  connections.  The  last  clause 
admits  of  two  constructions,  both  amounting  to  the  same  thing 
in  the  end.  What  likeness  or  resemblance  (i.  e.  what  similar 
object)  will  ye  compare  to  him?  Or,  what  comparison  will  ye 
f/is/i7«;e  respecting  him  ?  The  last  agrees  best  with  the  usage 
of  the  verb,  as  meaning  to  arrange,  prepare,  or  set  in  order  {to 
compare,  only  indirectly  and  by  implication)  ;  while  at  the  same 
time  it  avoids  the  unusual  combination  of  comparing  a  likeness 
to  a  thing  or  person,  instead  of  comparing  the  two  objects  for 
the  purpose  of  discovering  their  likeness.  The  use  of  the 
divine  name  (^x)  expressive  of  omnipotence  is  here  emphatic 
and  significant,  as  a  preparation  for  the  subsequent  exposure 
of  the  impotence  of  idols. 

19.  The  image  a  carver  has  torovglit,  and  a  gilder  loith  gold 
shall  overlay  it,  and  chains  of  sillier  {he  is)  casting.  The  am- 
biguous construction  of  the  first  clause  is  the  same  in  the 
original,  where  we  may  either  supply  a  relative,  or  make  it  a 
distinct  proposition.  In  favour  of  the  first,  which  is  a  frequent 
ellipsis  both  in  Hebrew  and  English,  is  the  fact,  tbat  the  verse 
then  contains  a  direct  answer  to  the  question  in  the  one  before 
it.  What  have  you  to  set  over  against  such  a  God  ?  The 
image  which  an  ordinary  workman  manufactures.  It  enables 
us  also  to  account  for  the  position  of  the  image  at  the  beginning 
of  the  sentence,  and  for  its  having  the  definite  article,  while 
the  following  nouns  have  none,  both  which  forms  of  expression 
seem  to  be  significant,  the  image  which  a  workman  (i.  e.  any 
workman)  can  produce.  The  consecution  of  the  tenses  seems 
to  show,  that  the  writer  takes  his  stand  between  the  commence- 
ment and  the  end  of  the  process,  and  describes  it  as  actually 
going  on.     The  carver  has  already  wrought  the  image,  and  the 


CHAPTER    XL.  83 

gilder  is  about  to  overlay  it.  The  word  gilcUr,  although  not 
an  exact  translation,  has  been  used  above,  as  more  appropriate 
in  this  connection  than  the  common  xeTsiou,  goldsmith.  The 
silver  chains  may  be  considered  either  simply  ornamental,  or  as 
intended  to  suspend  the  image  and  prevent  its  falling. 

20.  {As  for)  the  (man)  impoverished  (by)  offering,  a  tree  (that) 
icill  not  rot  he  chooses,  a  wise  carver  he  seeks  for  it,  to  set  up  an 
image  [that)  shall  not  be  moved.  While  the  rich  waste  their 
gold  and  silver  upon  idols,  the  poor  are  equally  extravagant  in 
wood.  To  say  that  the  poor  man  uses  wood  instead  of  gold 
and  silver,  is  coherent  and  appropriate,  but  far  less  significant 
and  striking  than  to  say,  that  the  man  who  has  already  reduced 
himself  to  want  by  lavish  gifts  to  his  idol,  still  continues  his 
devotions,  and  as  he  no  longer  can  afford  an  image  of  the 
precious  metals,  is  resolved  at  least  to  have  a  durable  wooden 
one.  Thus  understood,  the  verse  adds  to  the  general  descrip- 
tion a  particular  trait  highly  expressive  of  the  folly  of  idolaters. 
1M.se  is  here  Hsed  in  what  appears  to  be  its  primary  meaning 
of  artistically  skilful.     See  note  on  ch.  3  :  3. 

21.  Will  you  not  know  ?  uill  you  not  hear  ?  has  it  not  been  told 
youfrovi  the  first  ?  have  you  not  understood  the  foundations  {or  from 
the  foundations)  of  the  earth  ?  The  tenses  of  the  verbs  in  the  first 
clause  have  been  variously  and  arbitrarily  explained  by  different 
interpreters.  The  English  Version  and  some  others  exchange 
both  the  futures  for  preterites  {have  ye  not  knoiun?  have  ye 
not  heard  ?)  without  any  satisfactory  reason  or  authority.  But 
the  most  satisfactory,  because  the  safest  and  most  regular  con- 
struction, is  the  strict  one  given  in  the  Septuagint  {ov  yvwaea&B  ; 
ovx  ^xovaeo&s  ;)  and  revived  by  Lowth  {will  ye  not  know  1  will 
ye  not  hrar?)  The  clause  is  then  not  a  mere  expression  of  sur- 
prise at  their  not  knowing,  but  of  concern  or  indignation  at  their 
being  unwilling  to  know.     There  is  no  inconsistency  between 


84  CHAPTER  XL. 

this  explanation  of  the  first  two  questions  and  the  obvious  mean- 
ing of  the  third  ;  because  the  proof  of  their  unwillingness  to 
hear  and  know  was  the  fact  of  their  having  been  informed  from 
the  beginning.  The  words  seem  to  refer  simply  to  the  testi- 
mony of  external  nature,  and  to  mean  that  they  who  question 
the  existence  or  supremacy  of  one  God  are  without  excuse^  as 
Paul  says,  because  the  invisible  things  of  him  from  the  creation  of 
the  world  are  clearly  seen,  being  understood  by  the  things  that  are 
made,  to  ivit,  his  eternal  power  and  Godhead.  (Rom  1  :  20.  Com- 
pare Acts  14:  17.  17:24.)  The  foundations  of  the  earth  arc 
put  by  a  natural  and  common  figure  for  its  being  founded,  i.  e. 
its  creation. 

22.  The  (one)  sitting  on  (or  over)  the  circle  of  the  earth,  and  its 
inhabitants  (are)  as  grasshoppers  (or  locusts) ;  the  one  spreading 
like  a  veil  (or  awning)  the  heavens,  and  he  stretches  them  out  like 
the  tent  to  dwell  in.  The  circle  of  the  earth  may  either  mean 
the  earth  itself,  or  the  heavens  by  which  it  is  surmounted  and 
encompassed.  The  same  comparison  occurs  in  Num.  13:33. 
It  has  been  disputed  whether  the  last  words  of  the  verse  mean 
for  himself  to  dwell  in,  or  for  man  to  dwell  in.  But  they  really 
form  part,  not  of  the  direct  description,  but  of  the  comparison, 
like  a  tent  pitched  for  dwelling  in.  With  this  verse  compare 
ch.  42  :  5.  44  :  24.  Job  9  :  8,  Ps.  104  :  2. 

23.  The  [one)  bringing  (literally  giviyig  or  putting)  prhices  to 
nothing,  the  judges  (or  rulers)  of  the  earth  like  empitiness  (or  deso- 
lation) he  has  made.  Not  only  nature  but  man,  not  only  indi- 
viduals but  nations,  not  only  nations  but  their  rulers,  are  com- 
pletely subject  to  the  power  of  God. 

24.  Not  even  sown  were  they,  not  even  planted,  not  even  rooted  in 
the  ground  their  stock,  a7id  he  just  breathed  (or  blew)  upon  them, 
and  they  withered,  and  a  whirlwind  like  the  chaff  shall  take  them 


CHAPTER   XL.  85 

up  (or  away).  The  transition  to  the  future  in  the  last  clause 
is  analogous  to  that  in  v.  19,  and  has  the  same  eflfect  of  showing 
that  the  point  of  observation  is  an  intermediate  one  between 
the  beginning  and  the  end  of  the  destroying  process.  The 
essential  meaning  of  the  whole  verse  is.  that  God  can  extirpate 
them,  not  only  in  the  end,  but  in  a  moment ;  not  only  in  the 
height  of  their  prosperity,  but  long  before  they  have  attained  it. 
It  is  possible,  that  the  words  may  have  reference  to  the  national 
existence  of  Israel  as  a  nation,  the  end  of  which,  with  the  con- 
tinued and  more  glorious  existence  of  the  church  independent 
of  all  national  restrictions,  may  be  said  to  constitute  the  great 
theme  of  these  prophecies. 

25.  And  {now)  to  whom  will  ye  liken  vie,  and  {to  ivhom)  shall  I 
be  equal  ?  saith  th;  Holy  One.  He  winds  up  his  argument  by 
coming  back  to  the  triumphant  challenge  of  v.  18. 

26.  Lift  up  on  high  your  eyes  and  sec — loho  hath  created  all 
these  1  {and  who  is)  the  {one)  bringing  out  by  numhrr  their  host  1 
— to  all  of  them  by  name  will  he  call — from  abundance  of  might 
and  {because)  strong  m  power — not  one  faileth  (literally,  a  man  is 
not  missed  or  found  wanting).  The  same  exhortation  to  lift  up 
the  eyes  occurs  elsewhere  in  Isaiah  (ch.  37 :  23.  49  :  18.  60  :  4). 
The  construction  is  not,  see  {him)  who  created  these.,  or,  see  who 
created  these,  but,  as  the  accents  indicate,  see,  behold,  the  heavens 
and  the  heavenly  bodies,  and  then  a  distinct  interrogation,  who 
created  these?  To  bring  out  is  a  military  term,  as  appears  from 
ch.  43 :  17  and  2  Sam.  5:2.  It  is  applied  as  here  to  the  host 
of  heaven  in  Job  38  :  32.  The  sense  is  that  the  stars  are  like 
an  army  which  its  leader  brings  out  and  enumerates,  the  par- 
ticular points  of  the  resemblance  being  left  to  the  imagination. 

27,  Wliy  wilt  thou  say  oh  Jacob,  and  tohy  {thus)  speak  oh  Is- 
rael ?    Hidden  is  my  way  from  Jehovah,  and  from  my  God  my 


86  CHAPTER  XL. 

cause  ivill  pass  (or  is  about  to  pass)  away.  The  precise  question 
asked  by  the  Prophet  is  not  ichy  hast  thou  said.,  why  dost  thou, 
say,  or  why  shouldest  thou  say.,  but  why  wilt  thou  still  go  on  to 
say,  implying  that  it  had  been  said,  was  still  said,  and  would  be 
said  again.  The  two  names  of  the  patriarch  are  here  combined, 
as  in  many  other  cases,  to  describe  his  offspring.  Hidden  may 
either  mean  unkiioivn,  or  neglected,  or  forgotten.,  in  which  last  sense 
it  is  used  below  in  ch.  65  :  16.  The  same  verb  is  applied  in 
Gen.  31  :  49  to  persons  who  are  absent  from  each  other  and  of 
course  out  of  sight.  Way  is  a  common  figure  for  the  course  of 
life,  experience,  or  what  the  world  calls  fortune,  destiny,  or 
fate.  The  figure  in  the  last  clause  is  forensic,  the  idea  that  of 
a  cause  or  suit  dismissed,  lost  sight  of,  or  neglected  by  the  judge. 
The  expression  is  analogous  to  that  in  ch.  1  :  23,  where  it  is  said 
of  the  unjust  judges,  that  the  cause  of  the  widow  does  not  come 
unto  them  or  before  them.  The  state  of  mind  described  is  a 
skeptical  despondency  as  to  the  fulfilment  of  God's  promises. 
This  form  of  unbelief  is  more  or  less  familiar  to  the  personal 
experience  of  believers  in  all  ages,  and  the  terms  of  the  expos- 
tulation here  are  not  restricted  to  any  single  period  in  the  his- 
tory of  Israel. 

28.  Hast  thou  not  known  ?  hast  thou  not  heard  ?  The  God  of 
eternity  (or  everlasting  God),  Jehovah,  the  Creator  of  the  ends  of 
the  earth,  will  not  faint,  and  loill  not  tire ;  there  is  no  search  (ivith 
resjiect)  to  his  understanding.  That  he  ivill  not  faint  or  tire, 
implies  sufficiently  in  this  case  that  he  neither  does  nor  can, 
while  it  expresses  his  unwillingness  to  do  so.  The  ends  of  the 
earth  is  a  common  Hebrew  phrase  for  its  limits  and  all  that 
they  include.  This  verse  contains  an  answer  to  the  unbelieving 
fears  expressed  in  that  before  it,  which  ascribed  to  God  an  im- 
perfection or  infirmity  with  which  he  is  not  chargeable.  The 
last  clause  may  either  be  a  general  assertion  that  he  cannot 
leave  his  people  unprotected  through  a  want  of  understanding 


CHAPTER   XL.  87 

and  of  knowledge,  or,  a  suggestion  that  his  methods  of  proceed- 
ing, though  inscrutable,  are  infinitely  wise,  and  that  the  seem- 
ing inconsistency  between  his  words  and  deeds,  far  from  arguing 
unfaithfulness  or  weakness  upon  his  part,  does  but  prove  our 
incapacity  to  understand  or  fathom  his  profound  designs.  Even 
supposing  that  the  former  is  the  strict  sense  of  the  words,  the 
latter  is  implicitly  contained  in  them. 

29.  Giving  to  the  faint  (or  tcean/)  strength,  and  to  the  powerless 
might  will  he  increase.  He  is  not  only  strong  in  himself,  but 
the  giver  of  strength  to  others,  or,  to  state  it  as  an  argument  a 
fortiori,  he  who  is  the  only  source  of  strength  to  others  must  be 
strong  himself,  and  able  to  fulfil  his  promises.  The  construc- 
tion is  similar  to  that  in  vs.  22,  23,  not  excepting  the  transition 
from  the  participle  to  the  finite  verb. 

30.  And  {yet)  weary  shall  youths  be  and  faint,  and  chosen^ 
(youths)  shall  be  ivcakened,  be  weakened.  There  is  here  an  ob- 
vious allusion  to  the  terms  of  v.  23.  What  is  there  denied  of 
God,  is  here  affirmed,  not  only  of  men  in  general,  but  of  the 
stoutest  and  most  vigorous,  aptly  represented  by  the  young 
men  chosen  for  military  service.  That  the  prominent  idea  here 
conveyed  is  that  of  manly  strength  and  vigour,  is  not  questioned. 
Tlie  intensive  repetition  of  the  verb  may  either  be  expressed 
by  the  addition  of  an  adverb,  as  in  the  English  Version  {utterly 
fall),  or  retained  in  the  translation  as  above. 

31.  And  (on  the  other  hand)  those  waiting  for  Jehovah  shall 
gain  new  strength  ;  they  shall  raise  the  pinion  like  the  eagles.,  they 
shall  run  and  not  be  weary,  they  shall  walk  and  not  faint.  The 
marked  antithesis  between  this  verse  and  that  before  it,  justifies 
the  use  of  but  in  English,  although  not  in  the  original.  To  wait 
for  or  expect  implies  faith  and  patience.  This  is  also  the  old 
English  meaning  of  the  phrase  to  wait  upon,  as  applied  to  ser- 


88  CHAPTER  XL 

vants  who  await  their  master's  orders :  but  in  modern  usage 
the  idea  of  personal  service  or  attcudance  has  become  predoiui- 
naut,  so  that  the  English  phrase  no  longer  represents  the  He- 
brew one.  The  class  of  persons  meant  to  be  described  are  those 
who  show  their  confidence  in  God's  ability  and  willingness  to 
execute  his  promises,  by  patiently  awaiting  their  fulfilment. 
The  restriction  of  these  words  to  the  exiles  in  Babylon  is  en- 
tirely gratuitous.  Although  applicable,  as  a  general  proposi- 
tion, to  that  case  among  others,  they  admit  of  a  more  direct  and 
striking  application  to  the  case  of  those  who  under  the  old  dis- 
pensation kept  its  end  in  view,  and  still  "  waited  for  the  conso- 
lation of  Israel,"  and  "looked  for  redemption  in  Jerusalem" 
(Luke  2 :  25,  38.)  The  phrase  translated  they  shall  gain  nno 
strength  properly  means  they  shall  exchange  strength;  but  the 
usage  of  the  verb  determines  its  specific  meaning  to  be  that  of 
changing  for  the  better  or  improving  The  sense  is  therefore 
•correctly  given  in  the  English  Version  (^they  shall  renew  their 
strength).  Of  the  next  phrase  there  are  three  distinct  inter- 
pretations. 1.  They  shall  mount  up  iciih  n-ings.  2.  They  shall 
put  forth  fresh  feathers  like  the  moulting  eagle.  The  reference  is 
then  to  the  ancient  belief  of  the  eagle's  great  longevity  and  of 
its  frequently  renewing  its  youth.  (Psalm  103  :  5.)  The  rab- 
binical tradition  is  that  the  eagle,  at  the  end  of  every  tenth 
year,  soars  so  near  the  sun  as  to  be  scorched  and  cast  into  the 
sea.  from  which  it  then  emerges  with  fresh  plumage,  till  at  the 
end  of  the  tenth  decade  or  a  century  complete,  it  sinks  to  rise 
no  more.  3.  A  third  construction,  simpler  than  the  first  and 
more  agreeable  to  usage  than  the  second,  gives  the  verb  its  or- 
dinary sense  of  causing  to  ascend  or  raising  and  the  noun  its 
proper  sense  of  pinion,  and  connects  the  two  directly  as  a  tran- 
sitive verb  and  its  object,  thy  shall  raise  the  pinion  (or  the  icing) 
like  the  eagles.  In  the  last  clause  the  verbs  are  introduced 
together  for  the  third  time  in  a  beautiful  antithesis.  In  v.  28 
they  are  applied  to  Jehovah,  in  v.  30  to  the  strongest  and  most 


CHAPTER  XLL  89 

vigorous  of  men,  as  they  are  in  themselves,  and  here  to  the 
waiters  for  Jehovah,  the  believers  in  his  promises,  who  glory  in 
infirmity  that  his  strength  may  be  perfect  in  their  weakness. 
(2  Cor.  12:9.) 


CHAPTER    XL  I. 

Until  the  ends  of  Israel's  national  existence  are  accomplished, 
that  existence  must  continue,  in  spite  of  hostile  nations  and 
their  gods,  who  shall  all  perish  sooner  than  the  chosen  people, 
vs.  1-16.  However  feeble  Israel  may  be  in  himself,  Jehovah 
will  protect  him,  and  raise  up  the  necessary  instruments  for  his 
deliverance  and  triumph,  vs.  17-29.  ^ 

1.  Be  silent  to  me,  oh  islands,  and  the  nations  shall  gain  new 
sirengih ;  they  shall  approach,  then  shall  they  speak,  together  to  the 
judgmetit-seat  tvill  we  draiv  near.  Having  proved  the  impotence 
of  idols  in  a  direct  address  to  Israel,  Jehovah  now  summons 
the  idolaters  themselves  to  enter  into  controversy  with  him. 
The  challenge  is  a  general  one  directed  to  the  whole  heathen 
world,  and  islands  is  a  poetical  variation  for  lands  or  at  the 
most  for  maritime  lands  or  sea-coasts.  Silence  in  this  connec- 
tion implies  attention  or  the  fact  of  listening,  which  is  expressed 
in  Job  33  :  31.  The  imperative  form  at  the  beginning  gives  an 
imperative  sense  likewise  to  the  future,  which  might  therefore 
be  translated  let  them  approach  etc.  There  is  an  obvious  allu- 
sion in  the  first  clause  to  the  promise  in  ch.  40  :  31.  As  if  he 
had  said  :  they  that  hope  in  Jehovah  shall  renew  their  streug-th  ; 
let  those  who  refuse  renew  theirs  as  they  can.  The  participle 
then  makes  the  passage  more  graphic  by  bringing  distinctly  into 


90  CHAPTER   XLI. 

vif'w  the  successive  steps  of  the  process.  The  same  judicial  or 
forensic  figure  is  apjlied  to  contention  between  God  and  man 
by  Job  (9  :  19,  20,  32.) 

2.  Who  hath  raised  up  (or  awakened)  from  the  east  ?  Righteous- 
ness shall  call- him  to  its  foot ;  it  shall  give  natioiis  before  him,  and 
cause  him  to  tread  upon  kings ;  it  shall  give  [thevi)  as  dust  to  his 
swo7-d,  and  as  driven  stubble  to  his  bow.  The  simplest  construc- 
tion of  the  first  clause  is  that  which  assumes  an  abrupt  transi- 
tion from  the  form  of  interrogation  to  that  of  prediction.  The 
speaker,  as  it  were,  interrupts  his  own  question  before  it  is 
complete,  in  order  to  supply  what  must  otherwise  be  presup- 
posed. Instead  of  going  on  to  ask  who  brought  the  event  to 
pass,  he  pauses  to  describe  the  event  himself.  Here  and  else- 
where righteousness  means  the  righteousness  of  God  as  mani- 
fested in  his  providence,  his  dealings  with  his  people  and  their 
enemies.  (See  ch.  1  :  27.)  To  call  to  one''s  foot  is  a  Hebrew 
idiom  for  calling  to  one's  service,  or  summoning  to  take  a  place 
among  one's  followers.  This  act  is  here  ascribed  to  the  divine 
righteousness  as  a  personified  attribute.  The  other  verbs  may 
agree  with  the  same  subject  or  directly  with  Jehovah.  The 
question,  whose  appearance  is  predicted  in  this  verse,  has  been 
always  a  subject  of  dispute.  The  truth  appears  to  be  that  this 
is  a  more  general  intimation  of  a  great  eventful  movement  from 
the  east,  which  is  afterwards  repeated  with  specific  reference  to 
Cyrus  and  his  conquests.  It  might  even  be  supposed  without 
absurdity  that  there  is  here  an  allusion  to  the  general  progress 
of  the  human  race,  of  conquest,  civilization,  and  religion,  from 
the  east  to  the  west. 

3.  He  shall  pursue  them  ;  he  shall  pass  {in)  peace  (or  safty) ; 
a  path  with  his  feet  he  shall  not  go.  The  last  clause  describes 
the  swiftness  of  his  motions,  as  flying  rather  than  walking  on 
foot.    This,  which  would  be  natural  and  striking,  even  in  itself 


CHAPTERXLI.        ^  91 

considered,  is  confirmed  by  the  analogy  of  Daniel  8 :  5,  where 
we  read  that  an  he-goat  came  from  the  west  on  the  face  of  the  whole 
earthy  and  touched  not  the  ground. 

4.  Who  hath  wrought  and  done  [\t),  calling  the  generations  from 
the  beginning?  I  Jehovah,  the  first  and  with  the  last.,  I  [am)  he. 
Calling  the  generations  may  either  mean  calling  them  into  ex- 
istence or  proclaiming  them,  i,  e.  predicting  them ;  probably 
the  latter,  since  the  event  itself,  although  it  proved  a  super- 
human agency,  did  not  prove  it  to  be  that  of  Jehovah,  which 
could  only  be  established  by  the  fulfilment  of  predictions 
uttered  in  his  name.  With  the  last  does  not  simply  mean  the 
last,  which  is  the  form  employed  in  ch  41  :  21-25,  46  :  8-10, 
but  CO  existent  with  the  last,  a  mode  of  expression  which  would 
seem  to  imply  that  although  Jehovah  existed  before  all  other 
beings  he  will  not  outlast  them  all.  Ta7n  he,  i.  e.  the  being  to 
whom  the  interrogation  has  respect,  I  a?n  he  }oho  has  wrought 
and  done  it. 

5.  The  isles  have  seen  it  and  are  afraid,  the  ends  of  the  earth 
tremble ;  they  have  approached  and  come.  Some  regard  this  as  a 
description  of  the  effect  produced  by  the  foregoing  argument, 
but  others  as  a  part  of  the  argument  itself,  drawn  from  the 
effect  of  the  appearance  of  the  person  mentioned  in  v.  2. 

6.  A  man  his  neighbour  (i.  e.  one  another)  they  will  help,  and 
to  his  brother  {one)  will  say,  Be  strong  !  This  general  descrip- 
tion is  then  filled  up,  or  carried  out  into  detail  in  the  next 
verse,  both  containing  a  sarcastic  description  of  the  vain  ap- 
peal of  the  idolaters  to  the  protection  of  their  tutelary  deities. 

7.  And  the  carver  has  strengthened  the  gilder,  the  smoother  with 
the  hammer  the  smiter  on  the  anvil ;  he  says  (or  is  saying)  of  the 
solder^  It  is  good  ;  and  he  hath  strengthened  it  with  nails  ;  it  shall 


92  CHAPTER   XL  I. 

not  be  moved.  The  sarcasm  consists  in  making  the  idolaters  de- 
pendent upon  idols  which  are  themselves  dependent  upon  com- 
mon workmen  and  the  most  trivial  mechanical  operations  for 
their  form  and  their  stability.  Hence  the  particular  enumera- 
tion of  the  different  artificers  employed  in  the  manufacture  of 
these  deities.  The  text  of  the  English  Version  has  it  is  ready 
for  the  soldering;  but  the  other  construction  is  now  universally 
adopted.  The  last  clause  implies  that  the  strength  of  the  idol 
is  not  in  itself,  but  in  the  nails  that  keep  it  in  its  place  or  hold 
its  parts  together, 

8.  And  thou  Israel  my  servant.^  Jacob  who?n  I  have  chosen,  the 
seed  of  Abraham  my  friend.  The  prominent  idea  is  still  that  of 
the  contrast  between  Israel  as  the  people  of  God,  and  the 
heathen  as  his  enemies.  The  insertion  of  the  substantive  verb 
in  the  first  clause,  thou  Israel  art  my  serva?it,  is  unnecessary. 
This  whole  verse  with  the  next  may  be  understood  as  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  object  of  address,  or  of  the  person  to  whom  the 
exhortation  in  v.  10  is  directed.  The  two  names  of  Jacob 
are  again  combined  in  application  to  his  progeny.  The  race 
is  described  as  God's  servant  and  his  elect,  or,  combining  the 
two  characters,  his  chosen  servant,  chosen  to  be  his  servant. 
The  people  are  here  described  not  only  as  the  sons  of  Jacob 
but  of  Abraham.  The  same  honourable  title  that  occurs 
here  is  bestowed  on  Abraham  in  2  Chr.  20  :  7,  James  2  :  23, 
and  in  the  common  parlance  of  the  Arabs,  by  whom  he  is 
usually  styled  the  Friend  of  God,  or  absolutely,  the  Friend. 

9.  Thou  whom  I  have  grasped  fwn  the  ends  of  the  earth,  and 
from  its  joints  (or  sides')  have  called  thee,  and  said  to  thee,  My 
servant  (art)  thou,  I  have  chosen  thee  and  not  rejected  thee.  The 
description  of  the  object  of  address  is  still  continued.  The 
essential  idea  here  expressed  is  that  of  election  and  separation 
from  the  rest  of  men,  a  bringing  near  of  those  who  were  afar 


CHAPTER   XL  I.  93 

off  Interpreters  have  needlessly  disputed  whether  the  voca- 
tion of  Israel  io  Abraham,  or  at  the  exodus,  is  here  particularly 
meant ;  since  both  are  really  included  in  a  general  description 
of  the  calling  and  election  of  the  people.  The  phrase  ends  of 
the  earth  is  a  common  idiomatic  expression  for  remoteness,  often 
used  without  reference  to  particular  localities  (see  ch.  5  :  26. 
13:5).  The  idea  meant  to  be  conveyed  is  identical  with  that 
expressed  by  Paul  (Eph.  2  :  13).  The  translation  I  have  taken 
is  inadequate,  the  Hebrew  verb  meaning  to  hold  fast,  and  the 
idea  of  removal  being  rather  implied  than  expressed. 

10.  Fear  thou  not,  for  I  (am)  loith  thee  ;  look  not  around,  for  I 
[am)  thy  God ;  I  have  strengthened  thee,  yea  I  have  helped  thee, 
yea  I  have  upheld  thee  with  my  right  hand  of  righteousness.  This 
may  be  regarded  as  the  conclusion  of  the  sentence  beginning 
in  V.  8,  as  the  address  to  which  the  two  preceding  ver.ses  are 
an  introduction.  The  English  Version,  which  adheres  to  the 
strict  translation  of  the  preterites  in  v.  9,  here  gratuitously 
employs  the  future  form,  which  wholly  changes  the  complexion 
of  the  sentence.  It  is  not  a  simple  promise,  but  a  reference 
to  what  God  had  already  done  and  might  therefore  be  expected, 
to  do  again.     My  right  hand  of  righteousness  or  just  right  hand. 

1 1 .  Lo,  ashamed  and  confounded  shall  be  all  those  incensed  (or 
inflamed)  against  thee  ;  they  shall  he  as  nothing  (or  as  though  they 
were  not),  and  destroyed  shall  be  thy  men  of  strife  (or  they  that 
strive  with  thee).  Not  only  shall  Israel  himself  escape,  but  his 
enemies  shall  perish.  To  be  ashamed  and  confounded,  here  as 
usual,  includes  the  frustration  of  their  plans  and  disappoint- 
ment of  their  hopes.  On  the  meaning  of  as  nothing,  see 
above,  p.  18.  The  construction  of  the  phrase  thy  men  of  strife 
is  the  same  as  that  of  my  right  hand  of  righteousness  in  v.  10. 

12.  Thou  s/ialt  seek  them  and  riot  find  them,  thy  men  of  quarrel ; 


94  CHAPTER   X  LI. 

they  shall  be  as  nothing  and  as  nought^  thy  men  of  xoar  (i.  e.  they 
who  quarrelled  and  made  war  with  thee).  The  first  clause 
contains  a  common  Hebrew  figure  for  complete  disappearance 
and  destruction.  (See  Ps.  37  :  36.  Jer.  50  :  20.  Amos  8  :  12. 
Hos.  5  :  6.)  The  words  translated  nothing  and  nought^  strictly 
denote  non-existence  and  annihilation.  (See  above,  on  ch, 
40  :  17.) 

13.  For  I,  Jehovah  thy  Goa,  (am)  holding  fast  thy  right  hand  ; 
the  [one)  saying  to  thee,  Fear  not,  I  have  helped  thee,  i.  e.  I,  who 
command  thee  not  to  fear,  have  already  helped  thee,  or  se- 
cured thy  safety. 

14.  Fear  not,  thou  loorm  Jacob  and  ye  men  of  Israel ;  I  have 
helped  thee,  saith  Jehovah,  and  thy  Redeemer,  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel.  The  same  encouragement  is  here  repeated,  but  with  a 
direct  contrast  between  Israel's  weakness  and  the  sti'ength  of 
God.  The  epithet  uwrm  expresses  the  real  meanness  and  un- 
worthiness  of  man,  as  in  Job  25  :  G.  The  word  translated  re- 
deemer would  suggest  to  a  Hebrew  reader  the  ideas  of  a  near 
kinsman  (Lev.  25  :  24,  25)  and  of  deliverance  from  bondage 
by  the  payment  of  a  ransom.  Its  highest  application  occurs 
here  and  in  Job  19  :  25.  The  reference  to  the  Son  of  God, 
although  it  might  not  be  perceptible  of  old.  is  now  rendered 
necessary  by  the  knowledge  that  this  act,  even  under  the  old 
dispensation,  is  always  referred  to  the  same  person  of  the 
Trinity.  The  substitution  of  the  future  for  the  preterite  by 
the  English  and  some  other  versions  has  already  been  seen  to 
be  gratuitous  and  arbitrary. 

15.  Behold  I  have  placed  thee  for  (i  e.  appointed  thee  to  be, 
or  changed  thee  into)  a  threshing-sledge,  sharp,  new,  possessed  of 
teeth  (or  edges) ;  thou  shalt  thresh  mountains  and  beat  (them)  small, 
and  hills  like  the  chaff  shalt  thou  place  (or  make).     The  erroneous 


CHAPTER   XL  I.  95 

idea  that  be  simply  promises  to  furnish  Israel  with  the  means 
of  threshing  mountains,  has  arisen  from  the  equivocal  Ian r^uao-e 
of  the  English  Version,  /  will  make  thce^  which  may  either 
mean,  I  will  make  for  thee,  or  loill  make  thee  to  become,  whereas 
the  last  sense  only  can  by  any  possibility  be  put  upon  the  He- 
brew, as  literally  translated  above.  The  oriental  threshing 
machine  is  sometimes  a  sledge  of  thick  planks  armed  with 
iron  or  sharp  stones,  sometimes  a  system  of  rough  rollers  joined 
together  like  a  sledge  or  dray.  Both  kinds  are  dragged  over 
the  grain  by  oxen.  (See  Robinson's  Palestine,  vol.  iii.  p.  143.) 
The  word  translated  teeth  strictly  denotes  mouths  ;  but  like  the 
primitive  noun  from  whicli  it  is  derived,  it  is  sometimes  applied 
to  the  eilg-c  of  a  sharp  instrument,  perhaps  in  allusion  to  tlie 
figure  of  devouring.  Here  it  signifies  the  edges,  blades,  or 
teeth,  with  which  the  threshing-wain  is  armed.  Tlie  image 
presented  is  the  strange  but  strong  one  of  a  down-trodden 
worm  reducing  hills  to  powder,  the  essential  idea  being  that 
of  a  weak^nd  helpless  object  overcoming  the  most  dispropor- 
tionate obstacles,  by  strength  derived  from  another. 

16.  Thou  shall  fan  (or  winnoto)  them,  and  a  wind  shall  take 
them  up,  and  a  whirlwind  shall  scatter  tlwm,  and  thou  shall  joy  in 
Jehovah,  in  the  Holy  0:ie  of  Israel  shall  thou  boast  (or  glory). 
The  figure  of  the  preceding  verse  is  here  carried  out  and  com- 
pleted. The  mountains,  having  been  completely  threshed,  are 
winnowed,  in  the  usual  oriental  mode,  by  being  thrown  to  the 
wind.  Israel,  on  the  other  hand,  is  safe,  not  through  his  own 
strength  but  in  that  of  his  protector,  in  whom,  i,  e.  in  his  rela- 
tion to  whom,  he  finds  his  highest  happiness  and  honour.  The 
writer's  main  design  is  evidently  still  to  exhibit  the  contrast 
between  God  and  his  people  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  idols  and 
their  people  on  the  other 

1 7.  The  suffering  and  the  poor  {are)  seeking  water,  and  it  is  not 


96  CHAPTER    XL  I. 

{there  is  none)  ;  their  tongue  with  thirst  is  parched.  I  Jehovah 
will  hear  (or  answer)  them,  (J)  the  God  of  Israel  will  not  forsake 
them.  The  first  clause  describes  the  need  of  a  divine  interpo- 
sition, the  last  the  interposition  itself.  The  images  are  so  un- 
like those  of  the  foregoing  verse  that  they  might  seem  to  be 
unconnected,  but  for  the  fact  that  the  whole  passage  is  entirely 
metaphorical.  Thirst  is  a  natural  and  common  metaphor  for 
suffering.  Those  who  restrict  the  verse  to  the  Babylonish 
exile  are  divided  on  the  question,  whether  it  literally  describes 
the  hardships  of  the  journey  through  the  wilderness,  or  meta- 
phorically those  of  the  captivity  itself  Both  suppositions  are 
entirely  arbitrary.  There  is  nothing  in  the  text  or  context  to 
deprive  the  passage  of  its  genuine  and  full  sense  as  a  general 
promise,  tantamount  to  saying,  When  my  people  feel  their 
need,  I  will  be  present  to  supply  it.  Such  a  promise  those  in 
exile  could  not  fail  to  find  appropriate  in  their  case;  but  it  is 
equally  appropriate  in  others,  and  especially  to  the  glorious  de- 
liverance of  the  church  from  the  fetters  of  the  o]^  economy. 
The  word  translated  hear  does  not  mean  to  hear  in  general,  but 
to  hear  prayer  in  a  favourable  sense,  to  answer  it.  The  con- 
ditional turn  given  to  the  sentence  in  our  version  {when  the  poor 
and  needy  seek  etc.)  is  substantially  correct,  but  a  needless  de- 
parture from  the  form  of  the  original. 

18.  I  will  open  upon  bare  hills  streams,  and  in  the  midst  of  val- 
leys fountains  ;  I  will  place  the  desert  for  (i.  e  convert  it  into)  a 
pool  of  water .^  and  a  dry  land  for  (or  into)  springs  of  ivatcr.  The 
same  figure  for  entire  and  joyful  change  occurs  in  ch.  30 :  25 
and  ch.  35 :  7,  and  with  its  opposite  or  converse  in  Ps.  107: 
33,  35. 

19.  I  will  give  in  the  wilderness  cedar.,  acacia,  and  myrtle,  and 
oil-tree;  and  I  will  place  in  the  desert  fir,  pine,  and  box  together. 
The  main  idea,  common  to  all  explanations  of  this  verse,  is  that 


CHAPTER   XL  I.  97 

of  trees  growing-  wliere  they  never  grew  before.  It  is  compara- 
tively unimportant  therefore  to  identify  the  species.  With 
respect  to  the  cedar  and  the  myrtle  there  is  no  doubt.  The 
acacia  here  mentioned  is  a  thorny  tree  growing  in  Arabia  and 
Egypt  (See  Kobinson's  Palestine,  vol  ii.  p.  349.)  By  the 
oil-tree  is  meant  the  oleaster-  or  wild  olive,  as  distinguished  from 
the  cultivated  tree  of  the  same  species. 

20.  That  they  may  see,  and  know,  and  consider,  and  understaiid 
together,  that  the  hand  of  Jehovah  hath  done  this,  and  the  Holy  One 
of  Israel  hath  created  it.  The  verbs  in  the  first  clause  may  refer 
to  men  in  general,  or  to  those  immediately  concerned  as  subjects 
or  spectators  of  the  change  described.  There  is  a  climax  in  the 
last  clause  :  he  has  not  only  done  it  but  created  it,  i.  e.  produced 
a  new  effect  by  the  exertion  of  almighty  power. 

21.  Present  your  cause  (literally  bring  it  near  or  cause  it  to  ap- 
proach, i.  e.  into  the  presence  of  the  judge),  sailh  Jehovah ;  bring 
fonvard  your  defences  (or  strong  reasons^,  saith  the  king  of 
Jacob. 

22.  They  shall  bring  fonvard  (or  let  them  bring  forward)  and 
show  forth  to  us  the  [things)  which  are  to  happen ;  the  former 
things,  what  they  were,  show  forth,  and  we  will  tet  our  heart  (apply 
our  mind,  or  pay  attention  to  them),  and  know  their  issue ;  or 
{else)  the  comhig  (events)  make  us  to  hear.  The  prescience  of  future 
events  is  here  appealed  to  as  a  test  of  divinity.  (Compare 
Deut.  18:  22.  Jer.  28  :  9,  and  ch.  43  :  12  below.)  They  are 
required  to  demonstrate  their  foreknowledge,  either  by  show- 
ing that  they  had  predicted  something,  or  by  doing  it  now. 
The  whole  idea  which  the  text  conveys  is  that  of  two  contend- 
ing parties  at  a  judgment-seat.  They  means  the  party  of  the 
false  gods  and  their  worshippers,  we  that  of  Jehovah  and  his 
people. 

VOL.  II.— 5 


98  CHAPTER   XLI. 

23.  Show  forth  the  {thi?ir/s)  to  come  hereafter,  and  we  will  hww 
that  ye  are  gods ;  yes,  ye  shall  do  good  or  do  evil,  and  we  will  look 
about  and  see  together.  The  subjunctive  construction,  that  we 
may  know,  gives  the  sense  of  the  original^  but  with  a  needless 
change  of  form.  The  same  remark  applies  to  the  imperative 
translation  of  the  futures  in  the  next  clause  [do  good,  do  evil). 
The  use  of  the  disjunctive,  on  the  other  hand,  is  rendered  almost 
unavoidable  by  an  entire  difference  of  idiom,  the  Hebrews  con- 
stantly employing  and  where  or  in  English  seems  essential  to 
the  sense.  Look  about  has  the  same  sense  as  in  v.  10  above, 
where  it  seems  to  express  the  act  of  looking  round  or  about 
upon  those  present,  in  that  case  with  the  secondary  notion  of 
alarm  (as  looking  round  for  help),  but  in  this  case  with  that  of 
inspection  or  consideration  (we  will  look  about  us). 

24.  Lo,  ye  are  of  nothurg  (or  less  than  nothing)  and  your  work 
of  nought  (or  less  than  nought) ;  an  abominatio?i  [is  he  that)  chooseth 
(or  will  choose)  you.  This  is  the  conclusion  drawn  from  their 
failure  or  refusal  to  accept  the  challenge  and  to  furnish  the 
required  proof  of  their  deity.  Aboniinalion  is  a  strong  expres- 
sion often  used  to  describe  an  object  of  religious  abhorrence. 
On  the  choosing  of  gods,  compare  Judg.  5:8.. 

25.  /  have  raised  up  {one)  from  the  north,  and  he  Jias  come  ;  from 
the  rising  of  the  sun  shall  he  call  upon  my  name  ;  and  he  shall 
come  upon  princes  as  upon  mortar,  and  as  a  potter  treadcth  clay. 
This  is  a  specific  application  of  the  general  conclusion  in  v.  24. 
If  the  gods  of  the  heathen  coulJ  do  absolutely  nothing,  it  was 
impossible  that  they  should  be  the  authors  of  any  one  remarka- 
ble event,  and  especially  of  that  on  which  the  Prophet  has  his 
eye.  The  expressions  are  remarkably  similar  to  those  in  v.  2, 
so  that  the  Prophet  may  be  here  said  to  resume  the  train  of 
thought  which  had  been  interrupted  at  the  end  of  v.  4.  Having 
taken  occasion  to  describe  the  effect  of  the  event  foretold  upon 


CHAPTER   XLI.  99 

the  worshipper  of  idols,  and  from  that  to  show  the  impotence 
of  the  gods  themselves,  he  returns  to  the  event  which  he  had 
been  describing,  and  continues  his  description.  As  before,  he 
takes  his  stand  at  an  intermediate  point  between  the  beginning 
and  the  end  of  the  "whole  process,  as  appears  from  the  successive 
introduction  of  the  preterite  and  future.  With  the  single  sub- 
stitution of  he  has  come  for  he  shall  come^  the  common  version  is 
entirely  correct.  The  mention  of  the  north  and  east  together 
has  been  variously  explained.  A  satisfactory  hypothesis,  per- 
haps, is  that  the  subject  of  this  passage  is  not  a  determinate 
individual,-  but  the  conqueror  indefinitely,  who  is  not  identified 
till  afterwards.  The  act  of  calling  on  the  name  of  Jehovah  is 
commonly  regarded  as  an  allusion  to  the  profession  of  the  true 
religion,  or  at  least  the  recognition  of  Jehovah  as  the  true  God. 
on  the  part  of  Cyrus  (Ezra  1 :  2).  Compare  the  figures  of  the 
last  clause  with  ch,  10 :  6.  25  :  10. 

26.  Who  declared  from  the  beginning  ?  {Say)  and  we  will  Icnotv  ; 
and  beforehand^  and  tee  will  say^  Right  (or  True).  Nay.  there 
was  none  that  told;  nay^  there  was  none  that  uttered;  nay^  there 
was  none  that  heard  your  icords.  The  meaning  of  the  whole 
verse  is  that  the  events  in  question  had  been  foretold  by  Jeho- 
vah and  no  other.  ^ 

27.  First  to  Zio)i,  Behold,  behold  them!  and  to  Jerusalem  a 
bringer  of  good  news  will  I  give.  This  very  peculiar  idiomatic 
sentence  may  be  paraphrased  as  follows.  I  ain  the  first  to  say 
to  Zion,  Behold,  behold  them !  aiid  to  give  Jerusalem  a  briiiger  of 
good  news.  The  simplest  construction  is  to  make  the  verb  at 
the  end  govern  both  clauses  ;  but  in  English  the  sense  may  be 
espressed  more  clearly  by  supplying  the  verb  say.  The  common 
version  of  the  last  clause  is  correct,  but  that  of  the  first  appears 
to  have  no  meaning.  The  sense  is  not  the  first  shall  say,  but  / 
first,  i.  e.  before  any  other  God  or  prophet. 


100  CHAPTER   XLI. 

28.  And  I  will  lool;  but  there  is  no  man;  a7id  of  these,  but  there 
is  no  one  advising  (or  informing) ;  and  Itvill  ask  them.,  and  they 
will  return  a  word  (or  ansicer).  He  allows  them  as  it  were 
another  opportunity  of  proving  their  divinity.  In  the  first  two 
clauses,  the  expectation  and  the  disappointment  are  described 
together ;  in  the  third,  the  expectation  only  is  expressed,  the 
result  being  given  in  the  following  verse.  First  he  looks,  but 
finds  not  what  he  seeks.  Then  again,  but  with  the  same  result. 
Once  more  he  interrogates  them  and  awaits  an  answer,  but  (as 
the  next  verse  adds)  discovers  them  to  be  impostors.  There  is 
something  singularly  beautiful  in  this  peculiar  structure  of  the 
sentence,  which  is  wholly  marred  by  the  indirect  constructions 
that  are  commonly  adopted,  that  when  I asJccd  them  could  answer 
atcord,  or,  that  I  should  question  them  and  thyy  return  an  answer. 
The  verse  is  full  of  laconic  and  elliptical  expressions,  which 
however  may  be  easily  completed,  as  will  appear  from  the  fol- 
lowing brief  paraphrase.  I  will  look  (once  more  to  see  whether 
any  of  these  idols  or  their  prophet  can  predict  the  future),  but 
there  is  no  one  (who  attempts  it).  From  among  (all)  these  (I  seek 
for  a  response,  but  there  is  none.)  (Yet  once  more)  I  loill  ask 
them,  and  (perhaps)  they  will  return  an  answer.  The  same  appli- 
cation of  the  verb  translated  advising  to  the  prediction  of  the 
future  occur ^J)elow  in  ch.  44 :  26.  The  form  here  used  is  to 
be  strictly  construed  as  a  participle. 

29.  Lo,  they  (eire)  all  nought,  nothijig  their  ivorks,  wind  and 
emptiness  their  molten  images.  This  is,  at  once,  the  termination 
of  the  sentence  begun  in  the  last  clause  of  the  verse  preceding, 
and  the  summary  conclusion  of  the  whole  preceding  controversy 
as  to  the  divinity  of  any  gods  except  Jehovah.  To  the  usual 
expressions  of  nonentity  the  Prophet  adds  two  other  strong 
descriptive  terms,  wind  and  emptiness. 


CHAPTER   XLI  I.  101 


CHAPTER    XLII. 

This  chapter  exhibits  to  our  view  the  Servant  of  Jehovah, 
i.  e.  the  Messiah  and  his  people,  as  a  complex  person,  and  as 
the  messenger  or  representative  of  God  among  the  nations. 
His  mode  of  operation  is  described  as  being  not  violent  but 
peaceful,  vs.  1-5.  The  effects  of  his  influence  are  represented 
as  not  natural  but  spiritual,  vs.  6-9.  The  power  of  God  is 
pledged  for  his  success,  notwithstanding  all  appearances  of 
inaction  or  indifference  on  his  part,  vs.  10-17.  In  the  latter 
portion  of  the  chapter,  the  Church  or  Body  of  Christ,  as  dis- 
tinguished from  the  Head,  and  representing  him  until  he 
came,  is  charged  with  unfaithfulness  to  their  great  trust,  and 
this  unfaithfulness  declared  to  be  the  cause  of  what  is  suffered, 
vs.  18-25.  Several  important  exegetical  questions  with  resj^ect 
to  the  Servant  of  Jehovah,  will  be  noticed  in  the  exposition  of 
the  chapter. 

1,  Behold  my  servaiit  !  I  will  hold  him  fast ;  my  chosen  one 
{in  whom)  my  soul  delights  ;  I  have  given  (or  put)  my  Spirit  upon 
him  ;  judgment  to  the  natiojis  shall  he  cause  to^o  forth.  There  is 
no  need  of  assuming  (with  the  English  Version)  an  ellipsis  of 
the  relative  twice  in  the  same  clause.  The  separate  construc- 
tion of  the  fii'st  two  words,  as  an  introduction  to  the  following 
description,  makes  them  far  more  impressive,  like  the  vccc  homo 
{XSe  6  uvd-QMTiog)  of  John  19  :  5.  The  first  verb,  construed  as  it 
is  here,  signifies  to  hold  fast,  for  the  most  part  with  the  acces- 
sory idea  of  holding  up,  sustaining,  or  supporting.  Elect  or 
chosen  does  not  mean  choice  or  excellent,  except  by  implication  ; 
directly  and  strictly  it  denotes  one  actually  chosen,  set  apart, 
for  a  definite  purpose.  By  Spirit,  as  in  all  such  cases,  we  are 
to  understand,  not  only  divine  influence,  but  the  divine  person 


102  CHAPTER   XLII. 

who  exerts  it.  (See  vol.  1.  pp  64,  1G3.)  The  use  of  the 
phrase  on  him,  where  'm  him  might  have  seemed  more  natural, 
is  probably  intended  to  suggest  the  idea  of  descent,  or  of  an 
influence  from  heaven.  The  last  clause  predicts  the  diffusion 
of  the  true  religion.  The  ancient  doctrine  of  the  Jewish 
church,  and  of  the  great  majority  of  Christian  writers,  is  that 
the  servant  of  the  Lord  is  the  Messiah.  In  favour  of  the  Mes- 
sianic exposition  may  be  urged  not  only  the  tradition  of  the 
Jewish  church  already  cited,  and  the  perfect  facility  with  which 
this  hypothesis  at  once  accommodates  itself  to  all  the  requisi- 
tions of  the  passages  to  which  it  is  applied,  but  also  the  explicit 
and  repeated  application  of  these  passages  to  Jesus  Christ  in 
the  New  Testament.  These  applications  will  be  noticed  seriatim 
as  the  texts  successively  present  themselves.  To  this  first  verse 
there  are  several  allusions  more  or  less  distinct  and  unequivocal. 
Besides  the  express  citation  of  it,  with  the  next  three  verses,  in 
Matt.  12:  1^-21,  there  is  an  obvious  allusion  to  its  terms,  or 
rather  a  direct  application  of  them  made  by  God  himself,  in  the 
descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  our  Saviour  at  his  baptism,  and 
in  the  words  pronounced  from  heaven  then  and  at  the  time  of 
his  transfiguration  :  This  is  my  beloved  Son  in  whom  I  am  well 
pleased  (Matt.  3  :  17.  17  :  5).  That  Christ  was  sent  to  the  Jews 
and  not  the  Grentiles,  is  only  true  of  his  personal  ministry  and 
not  of  his  whole  work  as  continued  by  his  followers,  who  were 
expressly  commissioned  to  go  into  all  the  world,  to  make  disci- 
ples of  all  nations,  the  only  restriction  imposed  being  that  of 
beginning  at  Jerusalem.  It  only  remains  to  be  considered, 
whether  this  application  of  the  title  and  the  description  of  our 
Saviour  is  exclusive  of  all  others,  as  its  advocates  commonly 
maintain.  This  inquiry  is  suggested  by  the  fact,  which  all  in- 
terpreters admit,  that  Israel,  the  .chosen  people,  is  not  only 
called  by  this  same  name,  but  described  as  having  some  of  the 
same  attributes,  not  only  elsewhere,  but  in  this  very  context, 
and  especially  in  vs.  19,  20,  of  this  chapter,  where  any  other 


CHAPTER   XLII.  103 

explanation  of  the  terms,  as  we  shall  see,  is  altogether  inadmis- 
sible. Assuming,  then,  that  the  Messiah  is  the  servant  of  Je- 
hovah introduced  at  the  beginning  of  the  chapter,  there  are  only 
two  ways  of  accounting  for  the  subsequent  use  of  the  same  lan- 
guage with  respect  to  Israel.  The  tiist  way  is  by  alleging  a 
total  difference  of  subject  in  the  diiferent  places,  which  in  fact 
though  not  in  form  is  to  decline  all  explanation  of  the  fact  in 
question,  as  being  either  needless  or  impossible.  That  such  a 
twofold  application  of  equivalent  expressions  to  entirely  different 
subjects  is  conceivable  and  must  in  certain  cases  be  assumed, 
there  is  no  need  of  denying.  But  unless  we  abandon  all  at- 
tempt to  interpret  language  upon  any  settled  principle,  we 
must  admit  that  nothing  short  of  exegetical  necessity  can 
justify  the  reference  of  the  same  descriptive  terms  to  different 
subjects  in  one  and  the  same  context.  If  then  there  is  an  exe- 
getical hypothesis  by  which  these  applications  can  be  reconciled, 
without  doing  violence  to  usage  or  analogy,  it  seems  to  be  clearly 
entitled  to  the  preference.  Such  a  hypothesisj'it  seems  to  me, 
is  one  obscurely  stated  by  some  older  writers,  but  which  may 
be  more  satisfactorily  propounded  thus,  that  by  the  servant  of 
Jehovah,  in  these  Later  Prophecies  of  Isaiah,  we  are  to  under- 
stand the  Church  with  its  Head^^or  rather  the  Messiah  with 
the  Church  which  is  his  body,  sent  by  Jehovah  to  reclaim  the 
world  from  its  apostasy  and  ruin.  This  agrees  exactly  with 
the  mission  both  of  the  Redeemer  and  his  people  as  described 
in  Scripture,  and  accounts  for  all  the  variations  which  embarrass 
the  interpretation  of  the  passages  in  question  upon  any  more 
exclusive  exegetical  hypothesis.  It  is  also  favoured  by  the 
analogy  of  Deut.  18,  where  the  promised  Prophet,  according  to 
the  best  interpretation,  is  not  Christ  exclusively,  but  Christ  as 
the  Head  of  the  prophetic  body  who  possessed  his  spirit.  Another 
analogy  is  furnished  by  the  use  of  the  phrase  Abraham^  seed, 
both  individually  and  collectively.  He  whom  Paul  describes 
as  the  seed  of  Abraham,  and  Moses  as  a  prophet  like  unto  him- 


104  CHAPTER    XLII. 

self,  in  a  personal  but  not  an  exclusive  sense,  is  described  by 
Isaiah  as  the  servant  of  Jehovah,  in  his  own  person,  but  not  to 
the  exclusion  of  his  people,  so  far  as  they  can  be  considered  his 
co-workers  or  his  representatives.  Objections  founded  on  tlie 
want  of  agreement  between  some  of  these  descriptions  and  the 
recorded  character  of  Israel,  are  connected  with  a  superficial 
view  of  Israel  considered  simply  as  a  nation  and  like  other 
nations,  except  so  far  as  it  was  brought  into  external  and  for- 
tuitous connection  with  the  true  religion.  An  essential  feature 
in  the  theory  proposed  is  that  this  race  was  set  apart  and  or- 
ganized for  a  specific  purpose,  and  that  its  national  character  is 
constantly  subordinate  to  its  ecclesiastical  relation.  There  is 
precisely  the  same  variation  in  the  language  used  respecting  it 
as  in  the  use  and  application  of  the  term  tyexhiotu  in  the  New 
Testament.  Israel  is  sometimes  described  as  he  was  meant  to 
be,  and  as  he  should  have  been ;  sometimes  as  he  actually  was. 
The  name  is  sometimes  given  to  the  whole  race  and  sometimes 
to  the  faithful  portion  of  it,  or,  which  amounts  to  the  same 
thing,  it  is  sometimes  used  to  denote  the  real  sometimes  the 
nominal  Israel.  The  apparent  violence  of  applying  the  same 
description  to  an  individual  person  and  a  body,  will  be  lessened 
by  considering,  that  Christ  was  in  the  highest  and  the  truest 
sense  the  Servant  of  Jehovah  and  his  messenger  to  man,  but 
that  his  body,  church,  or  people,  was  and  is  a  sharer  in  the 
same  vocation,  under  the  gospel  as  an  instrument  or  fellow- 
worker,  under  the  law  as  a  type  or  representative  of  one  who 
had  not  yet  become  visible.  Hence  the  same  things  might 
be  predicated  to  a  great  extent  of  both.  As  the  Messiah  was 
the  servant  and  messenger  of  God  to  the  nations,  so  was  Israel. 
It  was  his  mission  also  to  diffuse  the  true  religion  and  reclaim 
the  nations.  From  the  very  first  it  Avas  intended  that  the  law 
should  go  forth  from  Zion  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  from  Je- 
rusalem. (Ch.  2  :  3.)  The  national  restrictions  of  the  old 
economy  were  not  intended  to  exclude  the  gentiles  from  the 


CHAPTER   XLII.  105 

church,  but  to  preserve  the  church  from  assimilation  to  the 
gentiles.  All  the  world  might  have  come  iu  if  they  would  by 
complying  with  the  terras  prescribed ;  and  nothing  is  more 
clear  from  the  Old  Testament  than  the  fact  that  the  privileges 
of  the  chosen  people  were  not  meant  to  be  restricted  even  then 
to  the  natural  descendants  of  Israel,  for  this  would  have  ex- 
cluded proselytes  entirely.  Multitudes  did  embrace  the  true 
religion  before  Christ  came;  and  that  more  did  not,  was  partly 
their  own  fault,  partly  the  fault  of  the  chosen  people,  who  neg- 
lected or  mistook  their  high  vocation  as  the  Messiah's  represen- 
tative and  as  Jehovah's  messenger.  If  it  be  asked,  how  the 
different  applications  of  this  honourable  title  are  to  be  distin- 
guished, so  as  to  avoid  confusion  or  capricious  inconsistency,  the 
answer  is  as  follows.  Where  the  terms  are  in  their  nature 
applicable  both  to  Christ  as  the  Head  and  to  his  Church  as  the 
Body,  there  is  no  need  of  distinguishing  at  all  between  them. 
Where  sinful  imperfection  is  implied  in  what  is  ■^aid,  it  must  of 
course  be  applied  to  the  Body  only.  Where  a  freedom  from 
such  imperfection  is  implied,  the  language  can  have  a  direct 
and  literal  reference  only  to  the  Head,  but  may  be  considered 
as  descriptive  of  the  Body,  in  so  far  as  its  idea  or  design  is  con- 
cerned, though  not  in  reference  to  its  actual  condition.  Lastly, 
when  anything  is  said  implying  deity  or  infinite  merit,  the 
application  to  the  Head  becomes  not  only  predominant  but 
exclusive.  It  may  further  be  observed  that  as  the  Church, 
according  to  this  view  of  the  matter,  represents  its  Head,  so  it 
is  represeqted  by  its  leaders,  whether  prophets,  priests,  or 
kings ;  and  as  all  these  functions  were  to  meet  in  Christ,  so  all 
of  them  may  sometimes  be  particularly  prominent  in  prophecy. 
How  far  the  theory  here  stated  with  respect  to  the  Servant  of 
Jehovah  is  either  necessary  to  explain  the  prophecies  or  really 
consistent  with  their  terms,  can  only  be  determined  by  a  specific 
application  of  the  principle  to  the  successive  parts  of  the  de- 
scription.    If  applied  to  this  first  verse,  it  would  determine  its 

5* 


106  CHAPTER   XLII. 

interpretation,  as  describing  Israel,  the  ancient  church,  to  be  in 
a  peculiar  sense  the  Servant  of  Jehovah,  protected  and  sustained 
by  Him,  enlightened  by  a  special  revelation,  not  for  his  own 
exclusive  use,  but  as  a  source  of  saving  light  to  the  surrounding 
nations.  At  the  same  time  it  would  show  him  to  possess  this 
character  not  in  his  own  right  but  in  that  of  another,  as.  the 
representative  and  instrument  of  one  who,  though  he  was  with 
God  and  was  God,  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant  and 
received  the  Spirit  without  measure,  that  he  might  be  a  light 
to  lighten  the  gentiles  as  well  as  the  glory  of  his  jjeople  Israel. 
(Luke  2 :  32  )  The  reference  to  Christ  is  here  so  evident,  how- 
ever, that  there  is  no  need  of  supposing  any  distinct  reference 
to  his  people  at  all,  nor  any  advantage  in  so  doing,  except  that 
of  rendering  the  subsequent  verses  still  more  significant,  as 
descriptive  not  only  of  his  personal  ministry,  but  of  the  spirit 
and  conduct  of  his  people,  both  before  and  after  his  appearance. 

2.  He  shall'  not  cry  (or  call  aloiul)^  and  he  shall  not  raise  (his 
voice),  and  he  shall  not  let  his  voice  be  heacd  in  the  street  (or  abroad, 
without).  The  simple  meaning  of  the  verse  fs-,  he  shall  not  be 
noisy  but  quiet.  As  applied  both  to  Christ  and  to  the  Church, 
this  verse  describes  a  silent,  unostentatious  method  of  proceed- 
ing. The  quotation  in  Matth.  12  :  19  is  commonly  explained 
as  referring  to  our  Saviour's  mild  and  modest  demeanour ;  but 
it  rather  has  respect  to  the  nature  of  his  kingdom,  and  to  the 
means  by  which  it  was  to  be  established.  His  forbidding  the 
announcement  of  the  miracle  is  not  recorded  simply  as  a  trait 
of  personal  character,  but  rather  as  implying  that  a  public 
recognition  of  his  claims  was  not  included  in  his  present 
purpose. 

3.  A  bruised  (or  crushed)  reed  he  will  not  break,  and  a  dim  wick 
he  will  not  quench ;  by  the  truth  xoill  lie  bring  forth  judgment.  The 
verbs  of  the  first  clause  have  no  exact  equivalents  in  English. 


CHAPTER   XL  1 1.  107 

The  first  appears  to  mean  broken  but  not  broken  off,  -which  last 
is  denoted  by  the  other.      The  common  version,  smoking  Jlax, 
is   that  of  the   Septuagint  and  Vulgate.     The  Hebrew  noun 
really  denotes   flax  (Ex.  9:31),  but  the  adjective  means  faint 
or  dim  ;  so  that  in  order  to  convey  the  meaning  in  translation, 
the  former  must  be  taken  in  the  specific  sense  of  wirk,  which  it 
also  has  in  ch.  43  :  17.     The  verse  continues  the   description 
of  the  mode  in  which  the  Messiah  and  his  people  were  to  bring 
forth  judgment  to  the  nations^  or  in  other  words   to  spread  the 
true  religion.     It  was  not  to  be   byd^mour  or  by  violence. 
The  first  of  these  ideas  is  expressed  in  the  preceding  verse,  the 
last  in  this.     That  such  is  the  true  inaport  of  the  words  is  clear 
from  the  addition  of  the  last  clause,  which.would  be  unmean- 
ing if  the  verse   related  merely  to  a  compassionate  and  sym- 
pathetic temper.       That  this  verse  is   included  in  Matthew's 
quotation  (ch.  12  :  19),  shows  that  he  did  not  quote  the  one  be-' 
fore  it  as  descriptive  of  a  modest  and  retiring  disposition.     For 
although  such  a  temper  might  be  proved  by  Christ's  prohibit- 
ing the  publication  of  his  miracles,  this  prohibition  could  not 
have  been  cited   as   an  evidence  of  tenderness  and  mildness. 
The  only  way  in  which   the  whole  Quotation  can  be  made  ap- 
propriate to  the  case  in  hand,  is  by  supposing  that  it  was  meant 
to  be  descriptive,  not  merely  of  our  Saviour's  human  virtues,  but 
of  the  nature  of  his  kingdom  and  of  the  means  by  which  it  was 
to  be  established.     That  he  was  both  lowly  and  compassionate 
is  true,  but  it  is  not  the  truth  which  he  established  by  his  con- 
duct upon  this  occasion,  nor  the  truth  which  the  evangelist  in- 
tended to  illustrate  by  the  citation  of  these  words.     As  well  in 
their  original  connection  as  in  Matthew's  application  of  them, 
they  describe  that  kingdom  which  was  not  of  this  world  ;  which 
came  not  wjth   observation  (Luke  17  :  20) ;  which  was  neither 
meat  nor  drink,  but   righteousness,  and  peace,  and  joy  in  the 
Holy  Ghost  (Rom.  14  :  17) ;  which  was  founded  and  promoted 
not  by  might  nor  by  power,  but  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord ; 


108  CHAPTER   XL  1 1. 

(Zech.  4  :  6)  and  of  which  its  founder  said  (John  18  :  36),  If  my 
kingdom  were  of  this  world,  tkea  would  my  servants  fight,  that  I 
should  not  be  delivered  to  tJie  Jews,  but  now  is  my  kingdom  not  from 
hence.  And  again  (John  18  :  37),  when  Pilate  said  unto  him, 
Art  thou  a  king  then  ?  Jesus  answered.  Thou  saycst  (rightly)  that 
I  am  a  king  ;  to  this  eiul  teas  I  born,  and  for  this  cause  came  I 
into  the  loorld,  that  I  should  bear  witness  to  the  truth  ;  every  one 
that  is  of  the  truth  heareth  my  voice.  How  perfectly  does  this 
august  description  tally  with  the  great  prophetic  picture  of  the 
Servant  of  Jehovah,  who  was  to  bring  forth  judgment  to  the 
nations,  and  in  doing  so  was  not  to  cry  or  raise  his  voice  or  let 
men  hear  it  in  the  streets,  nor  by  brutal  force  to  break  the 
crushed  reed  or  quench  the  dim  wick,  but  to  conquer  by  heal- 
ing and  imparting  strength.  This  passage  also  throws  light  on 
the  true  sense  of  the  somewhat  obscure  phrase  the  truth,  by 
showing  that  it  means  ivith  respect  to  the  truth,  which  is  here 
equivalent  to  saying  by  the  truth.  This  construction,  by  pre- 
senting an  antithesis  between  the  true  and  false  way  of  bring- 
ing forth  judgment  to  the  gentiles,  is  much  to  be  preferred  to 
those  constructions  which  explain  the  phrase  as  simply  mean- 
ing in  truth  (i.  e.  truly),  oWin  permanence  (i.  e.  surely),  or  unto 
truth  (i.  e.  so  as  to  establish  and  secure  it).  All  these  may  be 
suggested  as  accessory  ideas  ;  but  the  main  idea  seems  to  be 
the  one  first  stated,  namely,  that  the  end  in  question  is  to  be 
accomplished  not  by  clamour,  not  by  violence,  but  by  the 
truth. 

4.  He  shall  not  be  dim,  and  he  shall  not  be  crushed,  until  he 
shall  set  judgment  in  the  earth,  and  for  his  law  the  isles  shall  loait. 
He  shall  neither  conquer  nor  be  conquered  by  violence.  This 
verse  is  a  new  proof  that  the  one  before  it  does  not  describe 
mere  tenderness  and  pity  for  the  weak.  The  antithesis  would 
then  be,  he  shall  neither  be  unkind  to  the  infirm  nor  infirm 
himself.     On  the  other  hand,  the  sense  is  clear  and  pertinent 


CHAPTER    XLII.  109 

if  V.  3  means  that  he  shall  not  use  violence  towards  those  who 
are  weaker  than  himself,  and  v.  4  that  he  shall  not  suffer  it 
from  those  who  are  more  powerful ;  he  shall  neither  subdue 
others  nor  himself  be  subdued  by  force.  To  set  or  jjlace 
judgment  in  the  earth  is  to  establish  and  confirm  the  true  re- 
ligion. By  his  latv  we  are  to  understand  his  word  or  revela- 
tion, considered  as  a  rule  of  duty.  Here  again  the  islands  is  a 
poetical  expression  for  the  nations,  or  more  specifically  for  the 
transmarine  and  distant  nations.  "The  liope  meant  in  the  last 
clause  is  not  so  much  subjective  as  objective.  The  thing  de- 
scribed is'  not  the  feeling  of  the  gentiles  towards  the  truth, 
but  their  dependence  on  it  for  salvation,  and  on  Christ  for  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth  itself.  For  his  law  the  isles  are  loaiting 
(or  must  loait),  and  till  it  comes  they  must  remain  in  darkness. 

\ 
5.  Thus  sailh  the  Mighty  ( God),  Jehovah,  creating  the  heavens 
and  stretching  them  out,  spreading  the  earth  and  its  issues,  giving 
breath  to  the  'people  on  it,  and  spirit  to  those,  walking  in  it.  The 
substitution  of  the  preterite  for  the  participle  in  the  English 
Version  {Jie  that  created,  the  heavens  0M,d  stretched  them  out)  is  not 
only  a  gratuitous  departure  from  the  form  of  the  original,  but 
hides  from  the  English  reader  the  allusion  to  the  creative 
power  of  God  as  constantly  exercised  in  the  continued  exist- 
ence of  his  works.  The  same  figure  is  exhibited  more  fully  in 
ch.  40  :  22,  and  the  places  there  referred  to.  This  clause  is 
not  a  scientific  but  a  poetical  description.  To  the  eye,  the 
heavens  have  the  appearance  of  a  canopy  or  curtain,  and  the 
verdant  surface  of  the  earth  that  of  a  carpet.  No  single  Eng- 
lish word  is  so  appropriate  as  issues  to  express  both  the  mean- 
ing and  the  derivatmn  of  the  corresponding  one  in  Hebrew, 
which  denotes  the  things  that  come  out  of  the  earth,  its  pro- 
duce, growth,  or  vegetation,  with  particular  allusion  here  to 
grass.  Here,  as  in  ch.  40  :  7,  the  word  'peojilc  is  evi'dently  used 
iu  application  to  the  whole  human  race,  a  fact  of  soMj^mpor- 


no  CHAPTER   XLII. 

tauce  in  the  exposition  of  what  follows.  The  enumeration  of 
Jehovah's  attributes  in  this  verse  is  intended  to  accredit  the 
assurances  contained  in  the  context. 

6.  I  Jehovah  have  called  thee  in  righteous'iiess^  and  xviU  lay  hold 
of  thee  (or  hold  thee  fast),  and  loill  keep  thee,  and  will  give  thee  for 
a  covenant  of  the  people,  for  a  light  of  the  gentiles.  The  act  of 
calling  here  implies  selection,  designation,  and  providential  in- 
troduction to  Grod's  service  In  righteousness,  i.  e.  in  the  exer- 
cise of  righteousness  on  God's  part,  including  the  fulfilment  of 
his  promises  as  well  as  of  his  threatenings.  /  will  hold  thee 
fast,  and  thereby  hold  thee  up,  sustain  thee.  (See  above,  v.  1.) 
We  may  understand  by  a  covenant  of  the^  people  a  negotiator  be- 
tween  God  and  the  people.  This  use  of  covenant,  although  un- 
usual^  is  in  itself  not  more  unnatural  or  forced  than  that  of 
light  in  the  next  phrase.  As  light  of  the  nations  must  mean  a 
source  or  dispenser  of  light  to  them,  &o  covenant  of  people,  in. 
the  very  same  sentence,  may  naturally  mean  the  dispenser  or 
mediator  of  a  covenant  with  them.  The  only  reason  why  the 
one  appears  less  natural  and  simple  than  the  other,  is  that  ligld 
is  habitually  used  in  various  languages  both  for  the  element  of 
light  and  for  its  source  or  a  luminous  body,  whereas  no  such 
twofold  usage  of  the  other  word  exists,  although  analogies 
might  easily  be  traced  in  the  usage  of  such  words  as  justice  for 
judge,  counsel  for  counsellor,  in  both  which  cases  the  function- 
ary takes  the  name  of  that  which  he  dispenses  or  administers. 
But  supposing  this  to  be  the  true  construction  of  the  phrase, 
the  question  still  arises,  who  are  the  contracting  parties,  or  in 
other  words,  what  are  we  to  understand  by  people  ?  The  great 
majority  of  writers  make  it  mean  the  J^^s,  the  chosen  people 
of  Jehovah,  and  the  covenant  the  mediator  or  negotiator  of  a 
new  covenant  between  them  and  Jehovah,  according  to  the 
representation  in  Jer.  31  :  31-33.  But  it  is  better  to  under- 
stand it  as  a  description  of  the  servant  of  Jehovah  in  the  char- 


CHAPTER    XLII.  Ill 

acter,  not  only  of  a  light  (or  ^n  enligbtener)  to  the  nations, 
but  of  a  mediator  or  negotiator  between  God  and  the  people, 
i.  e.  men  in  general.  These  are  epithets  applicable  in  their 
highest  sense  to  Christ  alone,  to  whom  they  are  in  fact  applied 
by  Simeon  (Luke  2  :  32)  and  Paul  (Acts  13  :  47).  That  neither 
of  these  quotes  the  phrase  a  covenant  of  the  people^  does  not 
prove  that  it  has  no  relation  to  the  gentiles,  but  only  that  it 
does  not  relate  to  them  exclusively,  but  to  the  whole  human 
race  ;  whereas  the  other  phrase,  as  applj'ing  specifically  to  the 
gentiles,  and  as  being  less  ambiguous,  was  exactly  suited  to 
Paul's  purpose. 

7.  To  open  blind  eyes^  to  bring  out  from  prison  the  bondman,  from 
the  house  of  confinement  the  dwellers  in  darkness.  This  was  the 
end  to  be  accomplished  by  the  Servant  of  Jehovah  in  the  char- 
acter or  office  just  ascribed  to  him  The  spiri-tual  evils  to  be 
remedied  are  represented  under  the  figures  of  imprisonment 
and  darkness,  the  removal  of  the  latter  having  obvious  allusion 
to  the  light  of  the  nations  in  v.  6.  That  explanation  of  these 
words,  which  refers  them  to  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  from 
exile,  is  encumbered  with  various  and  complex  difficulties. 
What  is  said  of  bondage  must  be  either  strictly  understood  or 
metaphorically.  If  the  former  be  preferred,  how  is  it  that  the 
Prophet  did  not  use  expressions  more  exactly  descriptive  of  the 
state  of  Israel  in  Babylon  ?  A  whole  nation  carried  captive  by 
its  enemies  could  hardly  be  described  as  prisoners  in  dark  dun- 
geons. If  it  be  said  that  this  is  a  figurative  representation  of 
confinement  in  the  dark,  the  principle  of  strict  interpretation  is 
abandoned,  and  the  imprisonment  itself  may  be  a  metaphor  for 
other  evils.  There  is  then  left  no  specific  reason  for  applying 
this  description  to  the  exile  any  more  than  to  a  hundred  other 
seasons  of  calamity.  Another  and  more  positive  objection  to 
this  limitation  is,  that  it  connects  this  verse  with  only  part  of 
the  previous  description,  and  that  the  part  to  which  it  bears  the 


112  CHAPTER   XL II. 

least  resemblance  Even  granting  what  has  been  disproved, 
that  the  covenant  of  the  prcple  has  respect  to  Israel  alone,  how  is  it 
that  the  other  attribute,  a  ligJit  to  the  gentiles,  must  be  excluded 
in  interpreting  what  follows  ?  It  was  surely  not  in  this  capacity 
that  the  Servant  of  Jehovah  was  to  set  the  Jewish  exiles  fiee. 
The  opening  of  the  eyes  and  the  deliverance  of  those  that  sit 
in  darkness  are  correlative  expressions  to  the  light  nf  the  gentiles^ 
which  on  this  account,  and  as  the  nearest  antecedent,  must 
decide  the  sense  of  this  verse,  if  that  sense  depend  on  either  of 
these  attributes  exclusively.  I  will  mahe  thee  a  light  to  the  gen- 
tiles, to  open  the  blind  eyes  etc.  can  scarcely  mean,  I  will  make  thee 
an  instructor  of  the  heathen  to  restore  the  Jews  from  captivity  in 
Babylon.  Whether  the  verse  before  us  therefore  be  strictly  or 
figuratively  understood,  it  cannot  be  applied  to  the  captivity 
without  doing  violence  at  once  to  the  text  and  context.  The 
very  same  reasoning  applies  to  the  analogous  expressions  used 
in  ch.  49  :  9,  and  thus  corroborates  our  previous  conclusion,  that 
the  context  in  neither  of  these  places  favours,  much  less  re- 
quires, the  restriction  of  these  words  to  the  Jews.  The  only 
natural  interpretation  of  the  verse  before  us  is  that  which  makes 
it  figurative  like  the  one  preceding  it ;  and  the  only  natural  in- 
terpretation of  its  figures  is  the  one  which  understands  them  as 
descriptive  of  spiritual  blindness  and  spiritual  bondage,  both 
which  are  metaphors  of  constant  application  to  the  natural  con- 
dition of  mankind  in  the  Old  as  well  as  the  New  Testament. 
The  removal  of  these  evils  is  the  work  of  Christ,  as  the  revealer 
of  the  Father,  who  has  brought  life  and  immortality  to  light ;  but 
in  subordination  to  him,  and  as  his  representative,  his  church 
may  also  be  correctly  represented  as  a  covenant  of  the  people 
and  a  light  of  the  nations  ;  since  the  law,  though  a  divine  reve- 
lation, was  to  go  forth  from  Zion  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  from 
Jerusalem. 

8.  I  am  Jehovah,  that  is  my  name,  and  my  glory  to  another  will 


CHAPTER    XLII.  113 

I  not  give,  and  m^  praise  to  graven  images.  The  name  Jehovah 
is  here  used  with  emphasis,  in  reference  to  its  etymological  im- 
port, as  descriptive  of  a  self-existent,  independent,  and  eternal 
being.  Graven  images  are  here  put,  as  in  many  other  cases,  for 
idols  in  general,  without  regard  to  the  mode  of  their  formation. 
The  connection  of  this  verse  with  what  precedes  may  seem 
obscure,  but  admits  of  an  easy  explanation.  From  the  assertion 
of  Jehovah's  power  and  perfection  as  a  ground  for  his  people's 
confidence,  the  Prophet  now  proceeds,  by  a  natural  transition, 
to  exhibit  it  in  contrast  with  the  impotence  of  those  gods  in 
whom  the  gentiles  trusted.  These  are  represented  not  only  as 
inferior  to  God  but  as  his  enemies  and  rivals,  any  act  of  worship 
paid  to  whom  was  so  much  taken  from  what  he  claimed  as  his 
own  and  as  his  own  exclusively.  The  general  doctrine  of  the 
verse  is,  that  true  and  false  religion  cannot  coexist ;  because, 
however  tolerant  idolatry  may  be,  it  is  essential  to  the  worship 
of  Jehovah  to  be  perfectly  exclusive  of  all  other  gods.  This  is 
included  in  the  very  name  Jehovah,  and  accounljg  for  its  solemn 
proclamation  here. 

9.  The  first  (or  former)  things — Zo,  they  have  come,  and  new 
things  I  {am)  telling  ;  before  they  spring  forth  {sprout  or  germinate) 
I  will  make  (or  let)  yon  hear  {Ihem).  This  is  an  appeal  to  former 
prophecies  already  verified,  as  grounds  of  confidence  in  those 
yet  unfulfilled.  The  strong  and  beautiful  expression  in  the 
last  clause  can  only  mean  that  the  events  about  to  be  predicted 
were  beyond  the  reach  of  human  foresight,  and  is  therefore 
destructive  of  the  modern  notion,  that  these  prophecies  were 
written  after  Cyrus  had  appeared,  and  at  a  time  when  the  fur- 
ther events  of  his  history  could  be  foreseen  by  an  observer  of 
unusual  sagacity.  Such  a  prognosticator,  unless  he  was  also  a 
deliberate  deceiver,  a  charge  which  no  one  brings  against  this 
writer,  could  not  have  said  of  what  he  thus  foresaw,  that  he 
announced  it  before  it  had  begun  to  germinate,  i.  e.  while  the 


114  CHAPTER    X  LI  I. 

seed  was  in  the  earth,  and  before  any  outward  indications  of 
the  plant  could  be  perceived.  As  this  embraces  all  the  writer's 
prophecies,  it  throws  the  date  of  composition  back  to  a  period 
before  the  rise  of  Cyrus,  and  thereby  helps  to  invalidate  the 
arguments  in  favour  of  regarding  it  as  contemporaneous  with 
the  Babylonish  exile. 

1 0.  Sing  to  Jehovah  a  new  song^  his  praise  from  the  end  of  the 
carlh^  [ye)  going  down  to  the  sea  and  its  fulness^  isles  and  their  in- 
hnbitants  !  To  sing  a  new  song,  according  to  Old  Testament 
usage,  is  to  praise  God  for  some  new  manifestation  of  his  power 
and  goodness.  It  implies,  therefore,  not  only  fresh  praise,  but 
a  fresh  occasion  for  it.  Reduced  to  ordinary  prose  style,  it  is 
a  prediction  that  changes  are  to  take  place,  joyfully  affecting  the 
condition  of  the  whole  world.  That  this  is  a  hyperbole,  relating 
to  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  from  Babylon,  is  too  gratuitous 
and  forced  a  supposition.  Its  fulness  may  either  be  connected 
with  the  sea,  and  both  made  dependent  on  go  down  (to  the  sea 
and  its  fulness),  or  regarded  as  a  distinct  object  of  address.  In 
the  latter  case,  the  marine  animals  would  seem  to  be  intended ; 
in  the  former,  the  whole  mass  of  water  with  its  contents  ;  the 
last  is  more  poetical  and  natural.  The  antithesis  is  then  be- 
tween the  sea  with  its  frequenters  on  the  one  hand  and  the 
isles  with  their  inhabitants  on  the  other. 

1 1.  The  desert  and  its  towns  shall  raise  (the  voice),  the  enclosures 
(or  encamp?)ienis,  in  which)  Kedur  dwells ;  the  dwellers  in  the  Rock 
shall  shout,  from  the  top  of  mountains  shall  they  cry  aloud.  This 
is  a  direct  continuation  of  the  previous  description,  in  which 
the  whole  world  is  represented  as  exulting  in  the  promised 
change.  The  reference  of  this  verse  to  the  course  of  the  return- 
ing exiles  through  the  intervening  desert  is  forbidden  by  tlie 
mention  of  the  sea  and  its  fulness,  the  isles  and  the  ends  of  the 
earth,  in  the  preceding  and  following  verses.     If  these  are  not 


CHAPTER   XLII.  115 

all  parts  of  the  same  great  picture,  it  is  impossible  to  frame  one. 
If  they  are,  it  is  absurd  to  take  the  first  and  last  parts  in  their 
widest  sense  as  an  extravagant  hyperbole,  and  that  which  is 
between  them  in  its  strictest  sense  as  a  literal  description.  The 
only  consistent  supposition _  i«  that  sea,  islands,  deserts,  moun- 
tains, towns,  and  camps,  are  put  together  as  poetical  ingredients 
of  the  general  conception,  that  the  earth  in  all  its  parts  shall 
have  occasion  to  rejoice.  The  mention  of  cities  as  existing  in 
the  wilderness  appears  less  strange  in  the  original  than  in  a 
modern  version,  because  both  the  leading  words  have  a  greater 
latitude  of~  meaning  than  their  usual  equivalents,  the  first  de- 
noting properly  a  pasture-ground,  and  being  applicable  therefore 
to  any  uncultivated  region  whether  uninhabited  or  not,  the  other 
answering  to  toivn  in  its  widest  English  sense  inclusive  of  both 
villages  and  cities.  The  translation  village's  is  too  restricted, 
since  the  Hebrew  word  is  applicable  also  to  collections  of  tents 
or  nomadic  encampments,  which  appears  to  be^the  prominent 
idea  here.  Kedar  was  the  second  son  of  Ishmael  (Gen.  25 : 
13).  Here,  as  in  ch.  21  :  16,  the  name  is  put  for  his  descendants, 
or  by  a  natural  metonymy  for  the  Arabians  in  general.  The 
rabbinical  name  for  the  Arabic  language  is  the  tongue  of  Kcdar. 

12.  They  shall  place  (or  give)  to  Jehovah  honour^  and  his  praise 
171  the  islands  they  shall  shoiv  forth  (or  declare).  Still  another 
mode  of  saying,  the  whole  world  shall  praise  him.  The  islands 
are  again  mentioned,  either  as  one  out  of  several  particulars 
before  referred  to,  or  with  emphasis,  as  if  he  had  said,  even  in 
the  islands,  beyond  sea,  and  by  implication  in  the  furthest  re- 
gions. As  the  verb  to  give,  in  Hebrew  usage,  has  the  secondary 
sense  of  placing,  so  the  verb  to  place  is  occasionally  used  as  an 
equivalent  to  that  of  giving.  (See  vol.  i.  p.  304.)  The  trans- 
lation of  the  verbs  in  this  verse  as  imperatives  {let  them  give 
glory  and  declare),  although  substantially  correct,  is  a  needless 
departure  from  the  form  of  the  original,  in  which  the  idea  of 


116  CHAPTER   XLI I. 

command  or  exhortation  is  sufficiently  implied  tliougli  not  ex- 
pressed. The  verbs  do  not  agree  with  the  series  of  nouns  in 
the  foregoing  verse  (desert,  towns,  etc.),  for  these  could  not 
celebrate  Jehovah  in  the  islands.  The  construction  is  indefi- 
nite, thcy^i  i.  e.  men  in  general,  a  form  of  speech  of  far  more  fre- 
quent occurrence  in  Hebrew  than  would  be  suspected  by  a 
reader  of  the  English  Bible, 

13.  Jehovah^  like  a  strong  o?ie,  will  go  forth  ;  like  a  warrior 
(literally  a  man  of  battle)  he  loill  rouse  (Jiis)  zeal ;  he  will  shout, 
yea  he  will  cry ;  against  his  foes  he  icill  make  (or  show)  himself 
strojig.  From  the  effect  he  now  reverts  to  the  efficient  cause. 
The  universal  joy  before  described  is  to  arise  from  Jehovah's 
triumph  over  his  enemies.  The  martial  figures  of  the  verse  are 
intelligible  in  themselves  and  all  familiar  to  the  usage  of  the 
Scriptures.  To  go  forth  is  the  common  Hebrew  phrase  for 
going  out  to  war  or  battle.  (See  above,  on  ch.  40 ;  26.)  Zeal 
may  either  have  its  general  sense  of  ardour,  strong  and  violent 
affection  of  whatever  kind,  or  its  more  specific  sense  of  jealousy 
or  sensitive  regard  for  his  own  honour  and  for  the  welfare  of 
his  people.  (See  vol.  i.  p.  136  )  The  idea  is  that  of  an  ancient 
warrior  exciting  his  own  courage  by  a  shout  or  war-cry.  The 
last  clause  may  be  understood  to  mean,  he  shall  prevail  over  his 
eiiemics ;  but  although  this  idea  is  undoubtedly  included,  it  is 
best  to  retain  the  reflexive  form  and  import  of  the  verb  as  far 
as  may  be,  in  translation. 

14.  I  have  long  been  still,  (saying)  I  will  hold  my  peace,  Itcill 
restrain  myself  (But  now)  like  the  travailing  (looman)  I  will 
shriek,  I  will  pant  and  gasp  at  once.  The  second  and  third 
verbs  may  be  regarded  as  the  expression  of  his  own  determina- 
tion or  intention  while  the  silence  lasted.  The  omission  of  the 
verb  to  say  before  such  repetitions  or  citations  is  not  only  fre- 
quent in  general  usage,  but  the  more  natural  in  this  case  from 


CHAPTER    XLII.  117 

the  fact  tliat  this  whole  verse  is  universally  regarded  as  the 
words  of  God  himself,  although  he  is  not  expressly  introduced 
as  the  speaker.  There  is  indeed  another  very  ancient  explana- 
tion of  the  last  two  vei'bs,  given  in  the  English  Version,  I  unll 
destroy  and  devour  at  once.  '  My  wrath,  long  restrained,  I  will 
now  let  break  forth,'  is  no  doubt  the  true  sense  of  the  verse  on 
either  supposition. 

15.  I  toill  lay  ivaste  mountains  and  hilla,  and. all- their  herbage 
will  I  dry  up  ;  and  I  will  turn  (literally  place)  streams  to  islands 
and  pools  (or  lakes)  will  I  dry  up.  Having  described  the  effect 
and  the  cause  of  the  great  future  change,  he  now  describes  the 
change  itself,  under  the  common  form  of  a  complete  revolution 
in  the  face  of  nature,  sometimes  with  special  reference  to  the 
heavens  (ch.  13  :  10),  sometimes  (as  here  and  in  ch.  35  ;  6,  7) 
to  the  earth.  The  verse  probably  contains  an  allusion  to  the 
ancient  cultivation  of  the  hills  of  Palestine,  by^eans  of  ter- 
races, many  of  which  are  still  in  existence.     (See  vol.  i.  p.  1 16.) 

16.  And  I  loill  make  the  blind  ivalk  in  a  icay  they  knoto  not,  in 
paths  they  know  not  I  lolll  make  them  tread  ;  I  will  set  (or  turn) 
darkness  before  them  to  light,  and  obliquities  to  slraightness.  These 
are  the  words ;  I  have  made  them  (or  done  them)  and  have  not  left 
them.  The  combination  of  these  two  antitheses  (light  and 
dark,  crooked  and  straight)  shows  clearly  that  they  are  both 
metaphorical  expressions  for  the  same  thing  that  is  represented 
under  other  figures  in  the  verse  preceding,  viz  total  change  ; 
in  what  respect  and  by  what  means,  the  metaphors  themselves 
do  not  determine.  And  yet  some  writers  understand  the  first 
clause  as  specifically  meaning,  that  the  exiles  in  Babylon  should 
be  delivered  at  a  time  and  in  a  manner  which  they  had  not  ex- 
pected ;  while  another  class  apply  the  words  exclusively  to 
spiritual  exercises  or  religious  experience.  To  both  these  ob- 
jects the  description  admits  of  an  easy  application  ;  but  neither 


118  CHAPTER    XLII. 

of  them  is  to  be  considered  its  specific  subject.  It  is  impossi- 
ble, without  the  utmost  violence,  to  separate  this  one  link  from 
the  chain  of  which  it  forms  a  part,  that  is  to  say,  from  the 
series  of  strong  and  varied  metaphors,  by  which  the  Prophet 
is  expressing  the  idea  of  abrupt  and  total  change.  The  same 
thing  that  is  meant  by  the  wasting  of  cultivated  hills,  the 
withering  of  herbage,  and  the  drying  up  of  streams  and  lakes, 
is  also  meant  by  the  leading  of  blind  men  in  a  new  path, 
i.  e.  causing  them  to  witness  things  nf  vfh\oh  tJmg-hnd  had  no 
previous  experience.  The  simplest  and  most  regular  construc- 
tion of  the  last  clause  is  that  which  refers  the  pronouns  not  to 
a  noun  understood  but  to  the  expressed  antecedent.  These 
are  the  wonh  (i.  e.  my  promises).  I  have  performed  than  and  have 
not  abandoned  them,  that  is  to  say,  I  have  not  relinquished  my 
design  until  it  was  accomplished.  (Compare  the  last  clause  of 
Ezekiel  17  :  24.)  The  translation  of  these  verbs  as  futures 
has  arisen  merely  from  a  feeling  on  the  part  of  the  interpreter 
that  the  words  ought  to  contain  a  promise  ;  whereas  the  promise 
is  implied  or  rather  superseded  by  the  declaration  that  the 
work  is  done  already,  or  at  least  that  the  eifect  is  already 
secured.  The  usual  construction,  which  makes  one  a  preterite 
and  one  a  future,  is  doubly  arbitrary  and  capricious. 

17.  They  are  turned  hack,  they  shall  be  ashamed  ^oith  shame 
(i.  6.  utterly  ashamed),  those  trusting  in  the  graven  image,  those 
saying  to  the  moltcii  image,  Ye  are  our  gods.  This  verse  describes 
the  effect  to  be  produced  by  the  expected  changes  on  the  ene- 
mies of  God  and  the  worshippers  of  idols.  They  are  turned 
hack,  utterly  defeated,  foiled  in  their  malignant  opposition. 
Nor  is  this  all ;  for  they  are  yet  to  be  utterly  ashamed,  con- 
founded, disappointed,  and  disgraced.  In  the  last  clause  it  is 
plain  th*t  the  graven  and  molten  image  are  separated  only 
by  the  parallelism,  because  the  address  at  the  end  is  in  the 


CHAPTER    XLI I.  119 

plural  form,  not  thou,  art,  but  ye  are  our  gods.     On  the  usage 
of  these  two  nouns,  see  vol.  i.  p.  356. 

1 8.  Yc  deaf,  hear  !  and  ye  blind,  look  (so  as)  to  see  !  From  the 
connection,  this  would  seem  to  be  a  call  upon  the  worshippers 
of  idols,  to  open  their  eyes  and  ears,  and  become  conscious  of 
their  own  delusions. 

19.  Who  {is)  blind  but  my  servant,  and  deaf  like  my  messenger 
(lohom)  I  loill  send  ?  Who  (is)  blind  like  the  devoted  one,  and 
blind  like  the  servant  of  Jehovah  ?  Why  should  he  call  the 
heathen  blind  and  deaf,  when  Israel  himself,  with  all  his 
honours  and  advantages,  refused  to  see  or  hear?  The  very 
people,  whose  mission  and  vocation  it  was  to  make  the  gentiles 
see  and  hear,  seemed  to  emulate  their  insensibility.  Servant 
of  Jehovah  is  a  title  applicable  not  only  to  the  Head  but  to  the 
Body  also.  Here,  where  the  language  implies^ censure  and  re- 
proach, the  terms  must  be  referred  exclusively  to  Israel,  the 
messenger  whom  God  had  sent  to  open  the  eyes  of  the  other 
nations,  but  who  had  himself  become  wilfully  blind.  The 
future  verb  implies  that  the  mission  was  not  yet  fulfilled. 

20.  Thou  hast  seen  many  things,  and  wilt  not  observe.  (Sent) 
to  open  ears  I  and  he  will  not  hear.  In  the  first  clause  he  turns 
to  Israel  and  addresses  him  directly  :  in  the  last  he  turns  away 
from  him  again,  and,  as  it  were,  expresses  his  surprise  and  in- 
dignation to  the  by-standers.  The  sense  of  the  whole,  leaving 
out  of  view  this  difference  of  form,  is  the  same  as  in  the  fore- 
going verse,  namely,  that  Israel  had  eyes  but  saw  not,  and  in- 
stead of  opening  the  ears  of  others  was  himself  incapable  of 
hearing.  The  sentence  may  be  said  to  exhibit  a  climax.  In 
the  first  clause  the  contrast  is  between  the  blindness  of  the 
people  and  the  light  which  they  enjoyed ;  in  the  last  it  is  be- 
tween their  deafness  and  their  high  vocation  to  open  the  ears 


120  CHAPTER    XLII. 

of  others.  Hence  the  abrupt  and  impassioned  form  of  expres- 
sion in  the  latter  case.  An  explanation  is  afforded  by  the 
analogy  of  v.  7,  where  the  same  infinitive  describes  the  end  for 
which  the  Servant  of  Jehovah  was  sent. 

21.  Jehovah  {is)  loilliiig  for  his  righteousness'  sake;  he  icill 
magnify  the  law  and  viake  it  honourable.  The  people,  b^ing 
thus  unfaithful  to  their  trust,  had  no  claim  to  be  treated  any 
longer  as  an  object  of  Jehovah's  favour ;  and  yet  he  continues 
propitious,  not  on  their  account,  but  out  of  regard  to  his  own 
engagements,  and  for  the  execution  of  his  righteous  purposes. 
For  these  reasons  he  will  still  put  honour  on  the  chosen  peo- 
ple and  the  system  under  which  they  lived. 

22.  And  {yd)  it  {is)  a  jjcople  spoiled  and  robbed.^  ensnared  in 
holes  all  of  them.,  and  in  houses  of  confinement  Ihey  are  hidden. 
They  have  become  a  spoil,  and  there  is  none  delivering ;  a  prey,  and 
there  is  none  saying,  Restore.  Here  another  contrast  is  brought 
into  view.  As  the  conduct  of  the  people  did  not  answer  to 
their  high  vocation,  so  their  treatment  does  not  answer  to  the 
preceding  declaration  of  God's  purpose.  If  he  still  designed 
to  honour  them,  though  not  for  their  own  sake,  how  was  this 
to  be  reconciled  with  what  they  suffered  at  the  bauds  of  their 
enemies?  The  terms  are  no  doubt  metaphorical,  and  therefore 
not  exclusively  descriptive  of  literal  captivity.  At  the  same 
time  it  may  be  admitted  that  the  sufferings  of  Israel  in  exile 
furnished  one  of  the  most  memorable  instances  of  what  is  here 
described  in  general. 

23.  Who  among  you  toill  give  ear  to  this.,  will  hearken  and 
hear  for  the  time  to  come  ?  By  this  we  are  not  to  understand 
merely  the  fact  recorded  in  the  foregoing  verse,  but  the  doc- 
trine of  the  whole  preceding  context  as  to  the  vocation  and 
mission  of  Israel  and  his  actual  condition.     God  had  appointed 


CHAPTER    XLII.  121 

him  to  be  a  source  or  at  least  a  medium  of  light  and  bless- 
ing to  the  nations  ;  but  instead  of  acting  up  to  this  high 
character,  he  not  only  left  the  nations  without  light,  but  was 
wilfully  blinded  and  insensible  hims'elf  Yet  God  would  still 
be  true  to  his  engagements,  and  put  honour  on  the  special 
revelation  which  he  had  already  given.  Why,  then,  it  might 
be  asked,  was  Israel  suifered  to  fall  before  his  enemies  ?  The 
answer  to  this  question  is  introduced  by  an  indirect  caution  to 
consider  it  and  bear  it  in  mind.  The  interrogative  form  implies 
the  possibility  of  their  neglecting  or  refusing  to  obey  it.  The 
last  phrase  relates  either  to  the  time  of  hearing  [henceforth  or 
hereafter)  or  the  subject  of  the  declarations  to  be  heard  [concern- 
ing the  fwturi:). 

24.  Who  has  given  Jacob  for  a  frey^  and  Israel  to  spoilers? 
Has  not  Jehovah,  against  ivhom  ive  have  sinned,  and  they  were  not 
u-'iUing  in  his  loays  to  ivalk,  and  did  not  hearken  to  his  laio  ? 
This  was  what  they  were  to  bear  in  mind,  viz.  that  what  they 
suffered  was  ordained  of  God  and  on  account  of  their  in- 
ifjuities.  The  errors  of  which  this  verse  is  the  negation  are 
those  of  supposing  that  they  suffered  without  fault,  and  that 
they  suffered,  as  it  were,  in  spite  of  God's  protection,  or  be- 
cause he  was  unable  to  prevent  it.  The  interrogation  makes 
the  statement  more  emphatic  :  Who  else  can  be  imagined  to 
have  done  it,  or  for  what  other  cause  except  our  sins  ?  The 
change  of  person  in  the  last  clause  is  a  c'oiiShon  Hebrew  idiom 
and  does  not  seem  to  be  significant.  If  the  Prophet  identifies 
himself  with  the  people  in  the  first  phrase,  he  cannot  be  sup- 
posed to  exclude  himself  in  that  which  follows.  This  verse  is 
strictly  applicable  to  the  sufferings  of  the  Jews  in  Babylon, 
and  it  was  no  doubt  so  applied  by  them  ;  but  in  itself  it  is  a 
general  declaration  which  has  been  often  verified  and  was 
especially  exemplified  in  ancient  Israel,  viz.  that  the  sufiierings 
even   of  God's  people  are  the  consequence  of  sin. 

VOL.  u — 6 


122  CHAPTER    XLIII. 

25.  And  he  (Jehovah) ^owrerZ  upo7i  him  (Israel) /M?-y,  (^even)  his 
wrath  and  the  strength  (or  violence')  of  war :  and  it  set  him  on  fire 
O'ound  about,  and  he  knew  {it)  not ;  and  it  burned  him,  and  he  will 
not  lay  it  to  heart.  This  continues  and  concludes  the  descrip- 
tion of  God's  judgments  and  of  Israel's  insensibility.  He  knew 
not  does  not  here  mean  unaioarrs,  without  his  knowledge,  but, 
as  the  parallel  clause  shows,  implies  extreme  insensibility.  The 
translation  of  the  last  verb  as  a  preterite  is  ungrammatical,  and 
the  assimilation  of  the  two  as  presents  quite  gratuitous.  That 
a  preterite  precedes,  instead  of  showing  that  the  futm-e  must  refer 
to  past  time,  shows  the  contrary,  by  leaving  us  unable  to  account 
for  the  diiference  of  form  if  none  of  meaning  was  intended. 
However  necessary  such  assimilations  may  be  elsewhere,  they 
are  inadmissible  in  cases  like  the  present,  where  the  change  of 
tense  admits  of  an  easy  explanation,  to  wit,  that  the  writer  in- 
tended to  describe  the  people,  not  only  as  having  been  insensible 
before,  but  as  likely  to  continue  so  in  time  to  come.  On  the 
usage  of  the  phrase  to  put  or  lay  wpon  the  heart,  see  above,  p.  97. 


CHAPTER   XLIII.      ' 

The  main  subject  of  this  chapter  is  the  true  relation  of  Israel 
to  Jehovah,  and  it#  application  in  the  way  both  of  warning  and 
encouragement.  The  doctrine  taught  is  that  their  segregation 
from  the  rest  of  men,  as  a  peculiar  people,  was  an  act  of  sover- 
eignty, independent  of  all  merit  in  themselves,  and  not  even 
intended  for  their  benefit  exclusively,  but  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  God's  gracious  purposes  respecting  men  in  general. 
The  inferences  drawn  from  this  fact  are.  that  Israel  would  cer- 
tainly escape  the  dangers  which  environed  him  however  immi- 
nent, and  on  the  other  hand  that  he  must  suffer  for  his  unfaith- 


CHAPTER    XLIIL  123 

fulness  to  God.  In  illustration  of  these  truths,  the  Prophet 
introduces  several  historical  allusions  and  specific  prophecies, 
the  most  striking  of  the  former  having  respect  to  the  exodus 
from  Egypt,  and  of  the  latter  to  the  fall  of  Babylon.  It  4s 
important  to  the  just  interpretation  of  the  chapter  that  these 
parts  of  it  should  be  seen  in  their  true  light  and  proportion,  as 
incidental  illustrations,  not  as  the  main  subject  of  the  prophecy, 
which,  as  already  stated,  is  the  general  relation  between  God 
and  his  ancient  people,  and  his  mode  of  dealing  with  tliem,  not 
at  one  time  but  at  all  times. 

Israel  is  -the  peculiar  people  of  Jehovah,  cherished  and  fa- 
voured at  the  expense  of  other  nations,  vs.  1-4.  But  these  are 
one  day  to  become  partakers  of  the  same  advantages,  vs.  5-9. 
The  proofs  of  the  divine  protection  are  afforded  by  the  history 
of  Israel;  vs.  10-13.  One  of  the  most  remarkable,  still  future, 
is  the  downfall  of  Babylon  and  the  liberation  of  the  exiles, 
vs.  14,  15.  An  analogous  example  in  more  anci^t  times  was 
the  deliverance  from  Egypt,  vs.  16,  17.  But  both  these  in- 
stances shall  be  forgotten  in  comparison  with  the  great  change 
which  awaits  the  church  hereafter,  vs.  18-21.  Of  all  these  dis- 
tinguishing favours  none  was  owing  to  the  merit  of  the  people, 
but  all  to  the  sovereign  grace  of  God.  vs.  22-25.  The  people 
were  not  only  destitute  of  merit,  but  deserving  of  punishment, 
which  they  had  experienced  and  must  experience  again, 
vs.  26-28. 

1.  And  now,  thus  sailh  Jehovah.,  thy  creator,  oh  Jacob,  and  thy 
former,  oh  Israel,  Fear  not,  for  I  have  redeemed  thee,  I  have  called' 
thee  hy  thy  name,  thou  art  mine  (literally,  to  me  art  thou).  The 
juxtaposition  of  this  promise  with  the  very  different  language 
at  the  close  of  the  preceding  chapter  has  led  to  various  false 
assumptions  as  to  the  connection  of  the  passages.  The  simplest 
and  most  satisfactory  hypothesis  is  that,  in  this  whole  context, 
the  Prophet  is  accounting  for  the  sufferings  of  Israel  and  his 


124  CHAPTER     XLIII. 

preservation  from  destruction  on  the  same  ground,  namely,  that 
Jehovah  had  chosen  them  and  therefore  would  preserve  them, 
but  that  they  were  unfaithful  and  must  therefore  suffer.  The 
intermingling  of  the  promises  and  threatenings  is  not  to  be 
explained  by  supposing  a  reference  to  different  periods  or  dif- 
ferent subjects ;  nor  is  it  to  be  set  down  as  capricious  and 
unmeaning,  but  as  necessary  to  the  Prophet's  purpose.  The 
now  will  then  have  a  logical  rather  than  a  temporal  meaning,  as 
introductory  to  an  explanation  of  the  strange  fact  that  the  bush 
was  burned  but  not  consumed.  Creator  and  former  have  refer- 
ence not  merely  to  the  natural  creation,  nor  to  the  spiritual 
renovation  of  individuals,  but  to  the  creation  or  constitution  of 
the  church  God  was  the  maker  of  Israel  in  a  peculiar  sense. 
He  existed  as  a  nation  for  a  special  purpose.  Fear  not,  i  e.  fear 
not  that  thou  canst  be  utterly  destroyed.  It  is  not  an  assurance 
of  immunity  from  suffering,  the  experience  of  which  is  implied 
and  indeed  expressly  threatened  in  what  follows.  /  have  re- 
deemed thee.  There  is  here  an  allusion  to  the  redemption  of  the 
first-born  under  the  Mosaic  law,  as  appears  from  the  metaphor 
of  substitution  used  in  vs.  3  and  4.  Thus  understood,  the 
meaning  of  this  clause  is,  thou  art  not  like  the  other  nations  of 
the  earth,  for  I  have  purchased  or  redeemed  thee  to  myself  as 
a  peculiar  people.  To  call  by  najne  includes  the  ideas  of  specific 
designation,  public  announcement,  and  solemn  consecration  to 
a  certain  work.  This  and  the  other  clauses  of  the  verse  can 
be  applied  to  the  election  and  vocation  of  individuals  only  by 
accommodation,  or  so  far  as  the  case  of  the  individual  members 
is  included  in  that  of  the  whole  body. 

2.  When  thou  passesi  through  the  waters,  I  will  be  with  thee ; 
and  through  the  rivers,  they  shall  not  overflow  thee :  when  thou 
walkest  througJi  the  fire^  thou  shall  not  be  scorched,  and  the  flame 
shall  not  burn  thee.  Fire  and  water  are  common  figures  for 
calamity  and  danger.     (See  Ps.  66;  12.)     It  is  the  genius  of 


CHAPTER    XLIII.  125 

the  language  to  delight  in  short  independent  clauses,  where  we 
use  more  involved  and  complicated  periods.  '  For  thou  shalt 
pass  through  the  waters,  I  will  be  with  thee,'  is  the  idiomatic 
Hebrew  mode  of  saying,  If  or  when  thou  passest,  etc.  The  last 
clause  might  be  rendered,  when  thou  walkest  i7i  thefire^  the  prep- 
osition through  being  used  even  in  the  first  clause  only  because 
the  English  idiom  requires  it  after  pass.  The  common  version 
of  the  last  words,  shall  not  kindle  upon,  thc£^  is  of  doubtful  au- 
thority, and  seems  to  introduce  a  needless  anticlimax,  as  burn- 
ing is  much  more  than  kindling.  The  application  of  this  promise 
to  individual  believers  is  an  accommodation,  but  one  justified  by 
the  natural  relation  between  the  body  and  its  several  members. 

3._  For  ij  Jehovah^  thy  Gocl^  the  Holy  One  of  Israel.,  thy  Saviour., 
have  given  {as)  thy  ransom  Egypt^  Ethiojno;  and  Seba,  instead 
of  thee.  This  is  an  amplification  of  the  phrase  /  have  redeemed 
thee  in  V.  1.  As  the  Israelite  under  the  Mosaic  law  was  obliged 
to  redeem  his  first-born  by  the  payment  of  a  price,  or  by  the 
Bubstitution  of  some  other  object,  so  Jehovah  secured  Israel  as 
his  own  by  giving  up  the  other  nations,  here  represented  by  a 
single  group,  just  as  the  forest-trees  are  represented  in  ch.  41  : 
19  by  a  few  well-known  species.  The  group  here  selected  is 
composed  of  three  contiguous  and  kindred  nations.  Cush,  which 
was  placed  by  the  older  writers  either  wholly  or  partly  in  Ara- 
bia, is  admitted  by  the  moderns  to  be  coincident  with  the  Ethio- 
pia of  the  Greek  geographers.  Seba  is  now  commonly  supposed, 
on  the  authority  of  Josephus,  to  be  Meroe,  a  part  of  Ethiopia 
surrounded  by  the  branches  of  the  Nile,  and  celebrated  by  the 
ancient  writers  for  its  wealth  and  commerce.  The  connection 
of  the  countries  was  not  only  geographical  but  genealogical. 
According  to  Gen.  10:6,  7,  Cush  was  the  brother  of  Mizraim 
and  the  father  of  Seba.  According  to  this  exegetical  hypothe- 
sis, the  same  essential  meaning  might  have  been  conveyed  by 
the  mention  of  any  other  group  of  nations.     At  the  same  time, 


126  CHAPTER   XLIII. 

it  may  be  admitted  that  the  mention  of  Egypt  was  probably 
suggested  by  its  intimate  connection  with  the  history  of  Israel, 
and  by  its  actual  sacrifice,  in  some  sort,  to  the  safety  of  the 
latter  at  the  period  of  the  exodus.  Many  interpreters  go  fur- 
ther and  suppose  that  the  words  would  have  been  applicable  to 
no  other  nations  than  those  specifically  mentioned,  and  that  the 
Prophet  here  alludes  to  the  real  or  anticipated  conquest  of  these 
countries  by  Cyrus,  as  a  sort  of  compensation  for  the  loss  of 
Israel.  But  the  necessity  of  this  prosaic  explanation  is  pre- 
cluded by  the  prophetic  usage  of  spejcifying  individuals  as  rep- 
resentatives of  classes,  while  the  sense  thus  put  upon  ransom  or 
atonement  is  extremely  forced  and  far-fetched.  That  the  terms 
although  specific  were  designed  to  have  a  wider  application,  may 
be  safely  inferred  from  the  generic  expressions  substituted  for 
them  in  the  next  verse.  The  essential  idea  of  ransom  here 
is  that  of  vicarious  compensation.  The  insertion  of  the  sub- 
stantive verb  in  the  first  clause,  so  as  to  make  it  a  distinct 
proposition  (J  am  Jehovah),  greatly  weakens  the  whole  sen- 
tence. The  description  of  the  speaker  in  the  first  clause  is 
intended  to  conciliate  regard  to  what  he  says  in  the  other.  It 
was  in  the  character,  not  only  of  an  absolute  and  sovereign  God, 
but  in  that  of  Israel's  God,  his  Holy  One,  his  Saviour,  that 
Jehovah  had  thus  chosen  him  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other 
nations. 

4.  Since,  thou  wast  precious  in  my  eyes,  thou  hast  been  honoured, 
and  I  have  loved  thee,  and  will  give  man  instead  of  thee  and  nations 
instead  of  thy  soul  (or  life).  There  is  precisely  the  same  ambi- 
guity in  since  as  in  the  Hebrew  word.  Both  expressions  may 
be  taken  either  in  a  temporal  or  causal  sense.  Because  thou 
wast  precious,  or,  from  the  time  that  thou  toast  precious.  The  former 
sense  is  really  included  in  the  latter.  If  Israel  had  been  hon- 
oured ever  since  Jehovah  called  him,  it  is  plainly  implied  that 
this  vocation  was  the  cause  of  his  distinction.    The  first  clause, 


CHAPTEE    XLIII.  127 

as  the  whole  context  clearly  shows,  does  not  refer  to  intrinsic 
qualities,  but  to  an  arbitrary  sovereign  choice.  '  Since  I  began 
to  treat  thee  as  a  thing  of  value,  thou  hast  been  distinguished 
among  the  nations.'  The  verse,  so  far  from  ascribing  any  merit 
to  the  people,  refers  all  to  God  The  future  [I  toill  give)  shows 
that  the  substitution  mentioned  in  v.  3  did  not  relate  merely  to 
the  past  but  to  the  future  also.  Man  is  here  used  collectively 
or  indefinitely  for  other  men.^  or  the  rest  of  men,  as  in  Judg.  16  : 
7.  Ps.'73  :  5.  Job  21 :  33.  Jer.  32 :  20.  Thy  soul,  life,  or  perso7i, 
seems  to  be  an  allusion  to  the  usage  of  the  same  Hebrew  word 
in  the  Law^  with  respect  to  enumeration  or  redemption.  (See 
Ex.  12:4.  Lev.  27  :  2.)  The  general  terms  of  this  clause  make 
it  wholly  improbable  that  v.  3  has  specific  and  exclusive  refer- 
ence to  the  nations  named  there. 

5.  Fea?-  not,  for  I  {am)  with  thee;  from  the  east  iiiill  I  make  (or 
let)  thy  seed  come,  and  from  the  loest  will  I  gather  thee.  The  refer- 
ence of  this  verse  to  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  from  Babylon 
is  not  only  arbitrary  and  without  foundation,  but  forbidden  by 
the  mention  of  the  west  as  well  as  the  east.  That  it  refers  to 
any  restoration  is  the  more  improbable,  because  the  Prophet 
does  not  say  bring  hack  but  simply  bring.  The  only  interpre- 
tation which  entirely  suits  the  text  and  context,  without  sup- 
plying or  assuming  anything  beyond  what  is  expressed,  is  that 
which  makes  the  verse  a  promise  to  the  church  that  she  should 
be  completed,  that  all  her  scattered  members  should  be  ulti- 
mately brought  together.  (Compare  John  1 1  :  52.  Rom.  3  :  29, 
1  John  2:2.)  Thy  seed  has  reference  to  Israel  or  Jacob  as  the 
ideal  object  of  address. 

6.  /  toill  say  to  the  north,  Give,  and  to  the  south,  Withhold  not ; 
let  my  sons  come  from  far,  and  my  daughters  from  the  end  of  the 
earth.  This  is  a  poetical  amplification  of  the  promise  in  the 
foregoing  verse.     As  it  was  there   declared   that  God  would 


128  CHAPTER  XLIII. 

bring  and  gather  the  whole  seed  of  Israel,  so  here  he  represents 
himself  as  calling  on  the  north  and  the  south  to  execute  his 
purpose. 

7.  Every  one  called  by  my  name^  and  for  my  glory  I  have  created 
him  ;  I  have  (armed  him,  yea  I  have  made  him.  The  construction 
is  continued  from  the  foregoing  verse.  '  My  sons  and  my  daugh- 
ters, even  every  one  called  by  my  name.'  And  I  have  created 
him  is  a  common  Hebrew  idiom  equivalent  to  whom  I  have  crea- 
ted. For  my  glory  is  emphatic.  God  had  not  only  made  them 
what  they  were,  but  he  had  done  it  for  his  own  sake,  not  for 
theirs.  So  likewise  he  now  speaks  of  their  being  called  by  his 
name,  as  he  did  before  of  his  calling  them  by  their  name,  the 
latter  denoting  special  designation,  the  former  special  authority 
and  right. 

8.  He  hath  brought  out  the  blind  people.^  and  there  are  eyes  (to 
tliem) ;  and  the  deaf  and  {there  are)  cars  to  them.  The  two 
clauses  are  so  constructed  as  to  supply  one  another's  ellipses. 
On  the  whole,  the  most  satisfactory  interpretation  of  the  verse 
is  that  which  understands  it  as  descriptive  of  the  change 
wrought  or  to  be  wrought  in  the  condition  of  mankind  by  Je- 
hovah, through  the  agency  of  his  people,  whether  the  latter  be 
expressly  mentioned  here  or  not.  He  (i.  e.  God,  or  Israel  as 
his  messenger)  hath  brovght  out  a  people  (once)  blind,  and  (now) 
ihry  ha^ve  eyes,  and  (once)  deaf  and  (now)  tliey  have  ears,  i.  e. 
seeing  eyes  and  hearing  ears.  This  agrees  perfectly  with  all 
that  goes  before  and  follows  as  to  the  mission  and  vocation  of 
God's  people. 

9.  All  the  nations  are  gathered  together,  and  the.  peoples  arc  to  be 
assembled.  Who  among  them  will  declare  this  and  let  us  hear  the 
first  things  ?  Let  them  give  (or  produce)  their  witnesses  and  be  jus- 
tified;  and  (if  they  cannot  do  this)  let  them  hear  (my  witnesses), 


CHAPTER  XLIII.  129 

and  say,  (It  is)  the  truth.  The  nations  have  been  gathered,  but 
the  process  is  not  yet  completed.  This  gathering  of  the  nations 
has  been  commonly  explained  as  a  judicial  metaphor  like  that 
in  ch.  41:1.  In  that  case  the  verse  describes  the  heathen  as 
assembled  at  the  judgment-seat  to  plead  their  cause  against 
Jehovah.  This  agrees  well  with  the  forensic  terms  employed 
in  the  subsequent  context.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  this 
first  clause  may  have  been  intended  to  describe  not  the  process 
but  the  subject  of  adjudication.  The  gathering  of  the  nations 
will  then  denote  their  accession  to  the  church,  as  predicted  in 
vs  5-7 ;  and  this,  in  the  next  clause,  will  refer  to  the  same 
event.  Who  among  them  (i.  e.  the  nations)  could  have  foretold 
their  own  change  of  condition  ?  On  the  other  supposition, 
this  must  either  be  indefinite,  or  mean  the  restoration  of  the 
Jews  from  exile,  of  which,  as  we  have  seen,  there  is  no  specific 
mention  in  the  foregoing  context.  In  either  case,  the  usual 
alternative  is  off'ered,  viz  that  of  pointing  out  some  previous 
instance  of  foreknowledge  and  prediction.  The  last  clause 
admits  of  two  constructions.  It  may  either  be  read,  let  them 
be  just  (or  candid)  and  hear  and  say  it  is  the  truth;  or,  let 
them  be  justified  (by  the  witnesses  whom  they  produce),  and 
(if  not)  let  them  hear  (my  witnesses)  and  say,  it  is  the  truth. 
The  latter  seems  more  natural. 

10.  Ye  arc  my  witnesses,  saith  Jehovah,  and  my  servant  whom 
I  Jiave  chosen,  that  ye  may  know  and  believe  me,  and  may  under- 
stand that  I  avi  He ;  before  me  was  not  formed  a  god,  and  after 
me  there  shall  not  be.  Ye  are  my  witnesses  and  (ye  are)  my  ser- 
vant whom  I  have  chosen  (for  this  very  purpose).  The  combina- 
tion of  the  plural  witnesses  with  the  singular  servayit,  although 
strange  in  itself,  is  in  perfect  agreement  with  the  previous  rep- 
resentations of  Israel  as  both  a  person  and  a  body  politic. 
That  ye  may  knoio  depends  upon  the  words  immediately  pre- 
ceding, lohom  I  have  chosen,  and  the  clause  declares  the  purpose 

6* 


130  CHAPTER  XLIII. 

not  only  of  the  testimony  here  adduced,  but  of  the  election 
and  vocation  of  his  servant.  The  witness  to  whom  God  ap- 
peals is  Israel,  his  servant,  constituted  such  for  the  very  end 
that  he  might  know  and  understand  and  believe  that  of  which 
all  other  nations  were  entirely  ignorant,  viz.  that  Jehovah  was 
He,  i.  e.  the  being  in  question,  the  only  wise  God,  the  only  in- 
fallible foreteller  of  futurity.  Various  attempts  have  been 
made  to  explain  away  the  singular  expression,  there  was  no  god 
formed  before  me,  as  an  inaccuracy  of  expression ;  whereas 
nothing  else  could  have  conveyed  the  writer's  meaning  in  a 
form  at  once  sarcastic,  ai'gumentative,  and  graphic.  Instead 
of  saying,  in  a  bald  prosaic  form,  all  other  gods  are  the 
work  of  men's  hands,  but  I  am  uncreated  and  exist  from  all 
eternity,  he  condenses  all  into  the  pregnant  declaration,  there 
was  no  god  manufactured  before  me,  i.  e.  all  other  gods  were 
made,  but  none  of  them  was  made  before  I  had  a  being. 
There  is  not  even  such  an  incongruity  of  form  as  some  sup- 
pose, a  notion  resting  on  the  false  assumption  that  before  me 
must  in  this  connection  mean  ie/bre  J t^as /ory/jr'f?,  whereas  it 
only  means  ie/b?-e  J exis/ei,  just  as  the  parallel  phrase  ix/fe/ me 
does  not  mean  after  I  am  formed,  but  after  I  shall  cense  to  exist. 
The  sarcasm  is  rendered  still  more  pungent  by  the  use  of  the 
divine  name,  thus  bringing  into  the  most  revolting  contrast 
the  pretended  divinity  of  idols  and  their  impotence ;  as  if  he 
had  said,  none  of  these  almighty  gods  were  made  before  I  had 
a  being. 

11.  /,  /,  Jehovah,  and  besides  me  (or  apart  from  mt)  there  is  no 
Saviour.  In  the  first  clause  we  may  simply  supply  am,  as  in 
the  English  and  most  other  versions,  or  am  He  from  the  pre- 
ceding verse,  and  in  the  sense  there  explained.  The  exclusive 
honour  here  claimed  is  not  merely  that  of  infallible  foreknowl- 
edge, but  of  infinite  power.  Jehovah  was  able  not  only  to 
foretell  the  salvation  of  his  people,  but  to  save  them.     These 


CHAPTER  XLIIL  131 

terms  are  not  to  be  restricted,  if  applied  at  all  directlj',  to  the 
final  salvation  of  individual  believers.  There  is  evident  allu- 
sion to  the  deliverance  of  Israel  as  a  people  from  external  suf- 
ferings or  dangers,  of  which  one  signal  instance  is  referred  to 
in  V.  14  and  another  in  v.  16.  At  the  same  time,  the  doctrine 
here  propounded,  or  the  character  ascribed  to  God,  affords  a 
sure  foundation  for  the  personal  trust  of  all  who  have  really  a 
place  among  his  people. 

12.  I  have  told  and  have  saved  and  have  declared  (or  let  you 
hear  beforehand),  and  there  is  not  among  you  {any)  stranger  ; 
and  ye  are  my  loiincsses,  saith  Jehovah^  and  I  [am)  God.  Having 
laid  claim  successively  to  divine  prescience  and  power,  he  here 
combines  the  tw©,  and  represents  himself  both  as  the  foreteller 
and  the  giver  of  salvation.  The  emphatic  insertion  of  the 
pronoun  /  at  the  beginning  of  the  verse  can  only  be  expressed 
in  English  by  a  circumlocution,  it  is  I  that  have  tpld  etc. 

13.  Also  (or  even^  from  the  day  I  am  Hc.^  and  there  is  no  one 
freeing  from  my  hand ;  I  will  do.,  and  %oho  will  undo  it  ?  The 
assonance  in  the  last  clause  is  not  in  the  original,  which  liter- 
ally means,  /  ivill  act  (or  make),  and  who  tvill  cause  it  to  return, 
i.  e.  reverse  or  nullify  it  ?  The  interrogative  form  implies 
negation.  A  similar  expression  of  the  same  idea  is  found  in 
ch.  14  :  27.  What  is  said  specifically  in  the  first  clause  of  de- 
livering from  Jehovah's  power,  is  extended  in  the  last  to  all 
counteraction  or  reversal  of  his  acts.  Fro)n  the  day  is  under- 
stood by  some  as  referring  to  a  specific  terminus  a  quo,  such  as 
the  origin  of  Israel  as  a  nation,  the  exodus,  etc.  Others  make 
it  indefinite,  of  old  or  long  since.  But  the  best  interpreters 
explain  it  as  meaning  since  the  first  day,  or  since  time  began. 
The  words  are  then  universal,  both  in  the  extent  of  power 
claimed,  and  in  relation  to  the  time  of  its  exercise,      Over 


132  CHAPTER  XLI 1 1. 

every  object  and  in  every  age  the  power  of  Jehovah  had  been 
clearly  proved  to  be  supreme  and  absolute. 

14.  Thus  saith  Jehovah^  your  Redeemer^  thi  Holy  One  of 
Israel :  For  your  sake  I  have  sent  to  Babylon,  and  have  brought 
down  (or  viade  to  descend")  fugitives  all  of  them ;  and  the  Chal- 
deans, in  the  ships  their  shout  (or  song).  This  is  a  particular 
instance  of  the  general  protection  vouchsafed  by  Jehovah  to 
his  people,  and  more  especially  of  that  providential  substitution 
or  redemption,  of  which  we  read  above  in  vs.  3,  4.  The  infer- 
ence bi^fore  drawn  from  the  general  terms  of  v.  4,  that  the 
nations  mentioned  in  v.  3  are  only  representatives  or  samples, 
is  confirmed  by  this  explicit  mention  of  the  fall  of  Babylon  as 
an  example  of  the  same  great  truth.  The  titles  added  to  Je- 
hovah's name  are  not  mere  expletives  or  words  of  course,  but 
intimate  that  he  would  bring  this  great  event  to  pass  in  his  dis- 
tinctive character  as  the  Redeemer  and  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel.  The  event,  although  still  future  to  the  writer,  is  de- 
scribed as  past,  in  reference  not  only  to  the  purposes  of  God, 
but  also  to  the  perceptions  of  the  Prophet.  As  presented  to  his 
view  by  the  prophetic  inspiration,  the  destruction  of  Babylon 
vras  just  as  truly  a  historical  event  as  that  of  Pharaoh  and  his 
host. 

15.  /  Jehova/i,  your  Holy  One,  the  Creator  of  Israel,  your 
King.  This  verse  may  possibly  have  been  intended  merely  to 
identify  the  subject  of  the  one  before  it.  I  sent  to  Babylon  etc. 
even  /,  Jehovah,  your  Holy  One  etc.  It  is  simpler,  however,  and 
more  in  accordance  with  the  usage  of  the  language  to  make 
this  a  distinct  proposition  by  supplying  the  verb  of  existence. 
/  am  Jehovah,  or,  /  Jehovah  [am)  your  Holy  One,  or,  /  Jeho- 
vah, your  Holy  One,  {atn)  the  Creator  of  Israel,  your  King. 
Even  in  this  case,  the  event  predicted  in  v.  14  is  referred  to, 
as  the  proof  of  his  being  what  he  here  asserts. 


CHAPTER   XLIII.  133 

16.  Thus  saith  Jehovah^  the  [one)  giving  in  the  sea  a  way^  and 
in  mighty  waters  a  path.  As  the  participle  is  very  commonly 
employed  in  Hebrew  to  denote  continued  and  habitual  action, 
this  verse  might  be  regarded  as  a  general  description  of  God's 
iTsual  control  of  the  elements  and  conquest  of  all  difSculties. 
But  the  terms  of  the  next  verse,  and  the  subsequent  contrast 
between  old  and  new  deliverances,  have  led  most  interpreters 
to  understand  this  likewise  as  an  allusion  to  the  passage  of  the 
Eed  Sea, 

17.  The  [one)  bringing  out  chariot  and  horse,  force  and  strength 
(literally,  strong) ;  together  they  shall  lie,  they  shall  not  rise ;  they 
are  extinct,  like  tow  (or  like  a  wick)  they  are  quenched.  The  con- 
struction is  continued  from  the  foregoing  verse,  and  the  first 
word  agrees  directly  with  Jehovah.  Some  understand  the  verse 
as  having  reference  to  a  naval  victory  of  Cyrus  over  the  Chal- 
deans, othei's  as  relating  to  the  destruction  of  Pharaoh  and  his 
host.  It  is  no  objection  to  the  latter  application  that  the  verb 
is  future,  as  it  denotes  not  merely  the  act  of  lying  down,  but 
the  state  of  lying  still,  and  is  therefore  a  poetical  equivalent 
and  parallel  to  shall  not  rise.  That  something  long  past  is  in- 
tended, may  be  gathered  from  the  exhortation  of  the  next 
verse. 

18.  Rcmemher  not  former  things,  and  old  things  consider  not. 
As  if  he  had  said,  why  should  I  refer  to  ancient  instances  of 
God's  almighty  intervention  in  behalf  of  his  people,  when  others 
equally  remarkable  are  yet  to  come  ?  Some  refer  this  to  the 
advent  of  Christ,  but  most  to  the  fall  of  Babylon  and  restora- 
tion of  the  Jews  from  exile.  The  necessity  of  this  specific 
application  by  no  means  follows  from  the  express  mention  of 
that  event  in  v.  14  ;  because,  as  we  have  seen,  it  is  there  intro- 
duced as  a  single  illustration  or  example  of  a  general  truth, 
which  had  before  been  stated,  and  which  may  possibly  be  here 


134  CHAPTER  XLIII. 

repeated.    This  supposition  is  at  least  sufficient  to  meet  all  tlie 
requisitions  of  the  text  and  context. 

19.  Behold  I  [am)  doing  {something)  new^  it  is  noio  (or  yet)  to 
sprout  (or  germinate)  ;  do  you  not  know  it  ?  Yes,  I  will  place  in 
the  wilderness  a  way,  in  the  desert  streams.  The  now  does  not 
necessarily  denote  a  proximate  futurity,  but  only  that  the  thing 
is  yet  to  happen,  or  in  other  words,  that  it  is  something  new,  as 
distinguished  from  all  former  instances.  As  if  he  had  said,  it 
is  still  future.  The  figure  of  germination  implies  that  as  yet 
there  was  no  appearance  of  the  final  issue.  (See  the  same  ex- 
pression in  ch  42:  9.)  Do  you  not  knoio  it,  i.  e.  know  what  it 
is?  Or,  will  you  not  know  it,  i.  e.  are  you  not  willing  to  be  con- 
vinced ?  Or,  shall  you  not  knoiv  it,  i.  e.  is  not  the  event  to  be 
attested  by  your  own  experience  ?  Not  content  with  having  made 
a  way  through  the  sea,  he  would  make  one  through  the  desert. 
Now  as  this  is  really  a  less  extraordinary  act  of  power  than  the 
other,  it  would  seem  to  favour  the  opinion,  that  v.  16  and  the 
one  before  us  do  not  relate  indefinitely  to  the  exhibition  of  Je- 
hovah's omnipotence,  but  specifically  to  the  exodus  from  Egypt 
and  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  from  exile.  Even  on  this  hy- 
pothesis, however,  the  terms  of  this  verse  must  be  understood 
not  as  a  description  of  the  literal  return,  but  as  a  figurative 
representation  of  deliverance  and  relief,  whereas  v.  16  describes 
a  literal  deliverance.  On  the  whole,  therefore,  it  is  best  to  take 
both  verses  as  strong  metaphorical  descriptions  of  deliverance 
from  suffering  and  danger  by  a  direct  divine  interposition.  Even 
supposing  an  allusion  to  the  literal  journey  through  the  desert, 
what  is  said  of  rivers  must  be  figurative,  which  makes  it  proba- 
ble that  the  whole  sentence  is  of  the  same  description.  Thus 
understood,  the  Prophet's  language  means  that  God  could 
change  the  face  of  nature  and  control  the  angry  elements  in 
favour  of  his  people ;  that  he  had  so  done  in  time  past,  and 
would  again  do  so  in  time  to  come. 


CHAPTER   XLIII.  135 

20.  The  living  creature  of  the  field  shall  honour  me,  jackals  (or 
wolves)  and  ostriches  ;  because  I  have  given  in  the  wilderness  waters, 
and  streams  in  the  desert,  to  give  drink  to  my  people,  my  chosen. 
The  change  is  fiii  ther  described  by  representing  the  irrational 
inmates  of  the  desert  as  rejoicing  in  its  irrigation.  This  bold 
conception  makes  it  still  more  probable  that  what  precedes  does 
not  relate  to  a  literal  journey  through  a  literal  desert.  As  the 
first  phrase  seems  to  be  a  general  one,  including  the  two 
species  afterwards  mentioned,  the  translation  beast  is  too  re- 
stricted, and  should  give  way  to  that  which  is  etymologically 
most  exact,-  viz..  'QSiov,  animal,  or  living  creature.  The  form 
is  singular,  the  sense  collective.  The  two  species  represent  the 
whole  class  of  animals  inhabiting  the  wilderness.  (Compare 
ch.  13  :  21,  22.)  The  common  version  of  the  last  words  of  this 
verse  is  an  exact  one.  My  chosen  people  would  be  otherwise 
expressed.  To  the  simple  designation  oi  my  people,  he  adds,  by 
a  kind  of  afterthought,  wy  chosen  or  elect.  ^ 

21.  The  people  (or  this  people)  I  have  formed  for  my  self ;  my 
praise  shall  tliey  recount  (or  they  are  to  recount  my  praise).  Another 
declaration  of  the  end  for  which  Israel  existed  as  a  nation.  This 
brings  us  back  to  the  main  proposition  of  the  chapter,  namely, 
that  Jehovah  had  not  only  made  them  what  they  were,  but  had 
made  them  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  his  own  glory,  so  that 
any  claim  of  merit  upon  their  part,  and  any  apprehension  of 
entire  destruction,  must  be  equally  unfounded. 

22.  And  not  me  hast  thou  called,  oh  Jacob ;  for  thou  hast  been 
weary  of  vie,  oh  Israel.  Interpreters,  almost  without  exception, 
give  the  first  Hebrew  verb  the  sense  of  called  upon,  invoked 
or  worshipped.  There  is  much,  however,  to  be  said  in  favour 
of  the  sense,  thou  hast  not  called  me,  I  have  called  thee ;  as  our 
Saviour  says  to  his  disciples,  ye  hmte  not  chosen  me,  but  I  have 
chosen  you  (John  15 :  16).     Having  thus   far  represented  the 


136  CHAPTER    XLHI. 

vocation  of  Israel  as  a  sovereign  act  on  God's  part,  he  now 
presents  the  converse  of  the  same  proposition.  This  construc- 
tion is  further  recommended  by  its  accounting  for  the  unusual 
position  of  the  words  at  the  beginning  of  the  verse,  without 
resorting  to  the  arbitrary  supposition  that  it  is  characteristic  of 
a  later  age  than  that  of  Isaiah.  As  if  he  had  said,  it  is  not  I 
that  have  been  called  by  you.  According  to  the  usual  construc- 
tion of  the  first  clause,  the  second  may  be  rendered  either  whi-ii 
or  because  thou  wast  weary  of  me.  It  is  not  easy  to  determine 
whether  labour  or  fatigue  is  the  primary  meaning  of  the  word 
translated  weary.  Sometimes  the  one  idea  is  more  prominent, 
sometimes  the  other.  In  this  case  both  would  naturally  be 
suggested,  as  in  the  following  paraphrase.  It  is  not  I  that  have 
been  called  by  thee ;  for  so  far  from  manifesting  such  a  prefer- 
ence, thou  hast  been  wearied  and  disgusted  with  the  labour 
which  attends  my  service.  The  indirect  construction  (that 
thou  should st  be  weary  of  me)  is  only  admissible  in  case  of  exe- 
getical  necessity. 

23.  Thou  hast  not  brought  to  me  the  sheep  of  thy  burnt-offermg, 
and  {loith)  thy  sacrifices  thou  hast  not  honoured  me.  I  have  not 
made  thee  serve  with  oblation,  and  I  have  not  made  thee  labour  (or 
wearied  thee)  with  incense.  The  whole  Mosaic  ritual  is  here 
represented  by  an  enumeration  of  some  of  the  principal  offer- 
ings ;  the  olah  or  general  expiation,  the  zebahim  or  other  ani- 
mal sacrifices,  the  minhah  or  meal-oifering,  and  the  lebonah 
or  aromatic  fumigation.  The  Hebrew  word  includes  the  goat 
as  well  as  the  sheep,  and  is  therefore  correctly  rendered  in  the 
English  Version  by  the  phrase  sniall  cattle.  Of  the  whole  verse 
there  are  several  distinct  interpretations  or  rather  applications. 
Some  place  the  emphasis  upon  the  pronouns.  It  is  not  to  me 
that  thou  hast  ofi"ered  all  this,  but  to  idols.  Another  class  of 
writers  understand  the  passage  strictly  as  charging  the  Jews 
with  culpable  neglect  of  the  ceremonial  law.    A  third  hypothe- 


CHAPTER    XLIII.  137 

sis  applies  the  passage  to  the  unavoidable  suspension  of  the 
ceremonial  service  during  the  captivity  in  Babylon,  which  it 
supposes  to  be  here  urged  as  a  proof  that  the  deliverance  of 
Israel  from  exile  was  an  act  of  mercy,  not  of  righteous  retribu- 
tion for  their  national  obedience  and  fidelity.  It  is  much  more 
obvious  to  give  the  words  the  general  and  unrestricted  mean- 
ing which  they  naturally  bear  as  a  description  of  the  people's 
conduct,  not  at  one  time  or  at  one  place,  but  throughout 
their  history.  The  most  satisfactory  interpretation  of  the 
verse,  and  that  which  best  agrees  with  the  whole  context,  is, 
that  it  has  reference  not  merely  to  the  outward  or  material 
act,  but  to  its  moral  value  and  eflect.  You  have  not  so  per- 
formed your  ceremonial  duties  as  to  lay  me  under  any  obliga- 
tion to  protect  you.  You  have  not  really  given  me  your  cattle, 
you  have  not  truly  honoured  me  with  sacrifices.  The  best  ex- 
planation of  the  last  clause  is,  I  have  not  succeeded  in  inducing 
you  to  serve  me,  I  have  not  prevailed  upon  you  to  exert  your- 
selves, much  less  wearied  or  exhausted  you  in  ceremonial  ser- 
vices. 

24.  Thou  hast  not  bought  for  vie  sweet  cane  with  money^  and 
(with)  the  fat  of  thy  sacrifices  thou  hast  not  drenched  me  ;  thou  hast 
only  made  me  serve  with  thy  sins,  and  made  me  toil  (or  wearied  me') 
with  thine  iniquities.  Sweet  cane  is  mentioned,  like  the  other 
things  with  which  it  stands  connected,  as  a  specimen  or  sample 
of  the  whole  congeries  of  ceremonial  services.  The  antithesis 
between  the  clauses  seems  to  show  that  the  idea  meant  to  be 
conveyed  in  this  whole  context  is,  that  their  external  services 
were  nullified  by  sin.  So  far  from  being  satisfied  or  pleased 
with  what  they  ofi"ered,  God  was  only  vexed  with  their  trans- 
gressions and  neglects. 

25.  /,  I  am  he  blotting  out  thy  transgressions  for  mine  own  sake, 
and  thy  sins  I  will  not  remember.     This  is  the  conclusion  to  which 


138  CHAPTER    XLIII. 

all  that  goes  before  was  meant  to  lead,  to  wit,  that  God's  good- 
ness to  bis  peoj)le  is  gratuitous.  If  they,  instead  of  choosing 
God  and  his  service,  were  averse  to  both  ;  if,  instead  of  pleasing 
him  by  their  attentions,  they  had  grieved  him  by  their  sins  ; 
it  follows  of  course  that  he  could  still  show  them  favour  only  by 
gratuitously  blotting  out  their  sins  from  his  remembrance,  or  iu 
other  words,  freely  forgiving  them. 

26.  Remind  me  ;  let  us  plead  together  (or  judge  one  another)  ; 
state  {thy  case),  that  thou  mayest  be  justified.  After  asserting,  in 
the  foregoing  verse,  the  total  want  of  merit  in  the  people  and 
their  dependence  upon  God's  gratuitous  compassion,  he  now,  as 
it  were,  allows  them  to  disprove  his  allegation,  by  reminding 
him  of  some  forgotten  merit  on  their  part.  The  badness  of 
their  case  could  not  have  been  more  strongly  or  sarcastically 
stated  than  in  this  ironical  invitation  to  plead  their  own  cause 
and  establish  their  own  rights  if  they  could,  with  a  tacit  condi- 
tion, not  expressed  but  implied,  that  if  they  could  not  justify 
themselves  in  this  way,  they  should  submit  to  the  righteousness 
of  God  and  consent  to  be  justified  by  grace. 

27.  Thy  first  father  sinned,  and  thy  interpreters  rebelled  against 
me.  It  may  be  considered  as  implied,  that  all  their  fathers  who 
had  since  lived  shared  in  the  original  depravity,  and  thus"  the 
same  sense  is  obtained  that  would  have  been  expressed  by  the 
collective  explanation  oi  first  father,  while  the  latter  is  still 
taken  in  its  strict  and  full  sense  as  denoting  the  progenitor  of 
all  mankind.  Interpreters,  or  organs  of  communication,  is  a  title 
given  elsewhere  to  ambassadors  (2  Chr.  32:  31)  and  to  an  inter- 
ceding angel  (Job  33  :  23).  It  here  denotes  all  those  who,  under 
the  theocracy,  acted  as  organs  of  communication  between  God 
and  the  people,  whether  prophets,  priests,  or  rulers.  The  idea 
therefore,  is  the  same  so  often  expressed  elsewhere,  that  the  peo- 
ple, and  especially  their  leaders,  were  unfaithful  and  rebellious. 


CHAPTER  XLIV.  139 

28.  And  I  will  frofane  the  holy  chi"fs,  and  unit  give  vp  Jacob 
to  the  curse  and  Israel  to  reproaches.  The  character  just  given 
of  the  people  in  all  ages  is  urged  not  only  as  a  proof  that  God's 
compassion  must  be  perfectly  gratuitous,  but  also  as  a  reason 
for  the  strokes  which  they  experienced.  This  last  phrase  is 
descriptive  of  the  same  persons  called  interpreters  in  v.  27, 
namely,  all  the  official  representatives  and  leaders  of  the  holy 
(i.  e.  consecrated  and  peculiar)  people. 


CHAPTER    XLIY. 

This  chapter  opens,  like  the  fortieth  and  forty-third,  with 
cheering  promises  to  Israel,  followed  by  reasons  for  confiding 
in  them,  drawn  from  the  wisdom,  power,  and'  goodness  of 
Jehovah.  The  specific  promise,  which  constitutes  the  theme  or 
basis  of  the  prophecy,  is  that  of  abundant  spiritual  influences  and 
their  fruits,  not  only  internal  prosperity,  but  large  accessions 
from  without,  vs.  1-5.  The  pledge  for  the  fulfilment  of  this 
promise  is  afforded  by  the  proofs  of  God's  omniscience,  as  con- 
trasted with  all  other  gods,  vs  6-9.  The  folly  of  image-worship 
is  then  established  by  two  arguments.  The  first  is  that  idols 
are  themselves  the  creatures  of  mere  men,  vs.  10-14.  The 
other  is  that  they  are  not  only  made,  and  made  by  man,  but 
made  of  the  very  same  materials  that  are  constantly  applied  to 
the  most  trivial  domestic  uses,  vs.  15-20.  From  this  demon- 
stration of  the  power  of  Jehovah  to  perform  his  promise  we  are 
now  brought  back  to  the  promise  itself,  vs.  21-24.  This  is 
again  confirmed  by  an  appeal  to  God's  creative  power,  and 
illustrated  by  the  raising  up  of  Cyrus  as  a  deliverer  to  Israel, 
vs.  25-28. 

Here  again  it  is  important  to  the  just  interpretation  of  the 


140  CHAPTER   XLIV. 

passage  that  we  keep  in  view  the  true  relation  which  the  main 
theme  (the  safety  and  prosperity  of  Israel)  bears  to  the  argu- 
ments and  illustrations  drawn  from  God's  foreknowledge  as 
established  by  prediction,  from  the  impotence  of  idols,  and  the 
raising  up  of  Cyrus.  Through  all  these  varied  forms  of  promise 
and  of  reasoning  there  runs  a  thread  uniting  them,  and  this 
thread  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Church,  its  origin,  its  design,  and 
its  relation  to  its  Head  and  to  the  world  around  it. 

1.  And  now  hear,  Jacob  viy  servant,  and  Israel  I  have  chosen 
him  (i.  e.  whom  I  have  chosen).  The  transition  here  is  the 
same  as  at  the  opening  of  the  foregoing  chapter,  and  the  noio. 
as  there,  has  rather  a  logical  than  a  temporal  meaning.  For 
reasons  which  have  been  already  given,  there  is  no  need  of 
supposing  that  a  different  Israel  is  here  addressed,  viz.  the 
penitent  believing  Jews  in  exile ;  or  a  different  period  referred 
to,  namely,  that  succeeding  the  calamities  before  described.  It 
is  simply  a  resumption  and  continuation  of  the  Prophet's  argu- 
ment, intended  to  exhibit  the  true  relation  between  God  and 
his  people.  The  election  here  affirmed  is  probably  the  choice 
and  separation  of  the  church,  or  God's  peculiar  people,  from 
the  rest  of  men. 

2.  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  iky  malcer  and  thy  former  from  the  womb 
will  help  thee;  fear  not,  my  servant  Jacob,  and  Jeshurun  xohom  I 
have  chosen.  The  simplest  construction  is  to  make  the  words 
of  Jehovah  begin  with  thy  maker,  the  transition  from  the  third 
to  the  first  person  being  altogether  natural  and  one  of  perpetual 
occurrence  in  Isaiah.  Thy  maker  will  help  thee  is  equivalent  to 
/,  who  am  thy  maker,  will  help  thee.  But  even  on  the  common 
supposition,  that  the  words  of  God  begin  with  the  second 
clause,  it  is  better  to  take  he  will  help  thee  as  a  short  independ- 
ent clause,  parenthetically  thrown  in  to  complete  the  descrip- 
tion or  to  connect  it  with  what  follows.     Thus  saith  thy  maker 


CHAPTER    XLIV.  141 

and  thy  former  frovi  the  womb — he  loill  help  thee — Fear  not  etc. 
The  use  of  these  expressions  in  addressing  Israel  only  shows 
that  the  conception  present  to  the  writer's  mind  is  that  of  an 
individual  man.  Jeshurun  occurs  only  here  and  in  l)eut. 
32  :  15.  33  :  5,  26. 

3.  For  I  will  pour  waters  on  the  thirsty,  and  flowing  {waters) 
on  the  dry  {land) ;  I  will  pour  my  spirit  on  thy  seed,  and  my 
blessing  on  thine  offspring.  This  is  the  grand  reason  why  God's 
people  should  not  despair.  The  two  clauses  explain  each  other, 
the  water  ot  the  first  being  clearly  identical  with  the  spirit  of 
the  second.  This  is  a  common  figure  for  influence  from  above. 
(See  ch.  32  :  15.  Ez.  34  :  26.  Mai.  3  :  10.)  This  promise  in- 
cludes all  the  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  ideal  object 
of  address  is  Jacob  as  the  national  progenitor,  and  the  Jews 
themselves  are  here  described  as  his  descendants.  Even  this, 
however,  does  not  necessarily  exclude  the  spiritual  ofi"spriug  of 
the  patriarch,  who  are  explicitly  referred  to  in  the  context. 

4.  And  they  shall  spring  up  in  the  midst  of  the  grass,  like  wtl- 
loios  on  (or  by)  the  water-courses.  This  verse  describes  the  effect 
of  the  irrigation  and  effusion  promised  in  the  one  before  it. 
The  subject  of  the  verb  is  the  offspring  or  descendants  of 
Israel,  by  whom  the  blessing  was  to  be  experienced.  The  grass 
and  the  willows  are  separated  only  by  tlie  rhythmical  arrange- 
ment of  the  sentence.  The  simple  meaning  of  the  whole  verse 
is,  that  they  shall  grow  as  willows  grow  anaong  the  grass,  i.  e.  in 
a  moist  or  marshy  spot. 

5.  This  shall  say,  To  Jehovah  I  {belong) ;  and  this  shall  call 
on  (or  by)  the  name  of  Jacob ;  and  this  shall  itiscribe  his  hand  (or 
with  his  hand),  To  Jehovah,  arid  with  the  name  of  Israel  shall 
entitle.  It  is  commonly  agreed  that  this  verse  predicts  the  ac- 
cession of  the  gentiles,  whom  it  represents  as  publicly  pro- 


142  CHAPTER    X  L  I  V. 

fessing  tlieir  allegiance  to  Jehovah  and  attachment  to  his 
people.  The  act  of  calling  one  by  name,  and  that  of  calling 
on  his  name  (invoking  him),  are  intimately  blended  in  the  He- 
brew usage.  Most  interpreters  understand  it  here  as  meaning 
to  praise  or  celebrate.  Some  understand  the  last  verb  to  mean 
he  shall  stirname  himself  {ox  be  surnamed),  others  he  shall  name 
the  name  of  Jacob  in  a  flattering  or  respectful  manner.  Of 
the  intermediate  clause  there  are  two  ancient  explanations,  one 
of  which  makes  it  mean  he  shall  write  {with)  his  hand,  in  allu- 
sion to  the  signing  of  contracts  (Jer.  32  :  10.  Neh.  9  :  38);  the 
other,  he  shall  write  upon  (inscribe)  his  hand,  in  allusion  to  the 
ancient  custom  of  marking  soldiers,  slaves,  and  other  depend- 
ents, with  the  name  of  their  superior,  to  which  there  seems  to 
be  a  reference  in  Ex.  13  :  9  and  Rev.  13  :  16. 

6.  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  king  of  Israel,  and  his  redeems,  Je- 
hovah of  Hosts:  I  (am)  first,  and  I  {am)  last,  and  toithout  me 
there  is  no  God.  This  is  a  description  of  the  God  whom  the 
nations,  in  the  preceding  verse,  are  represented  as  acknowl- 
edging. The  attributes  ascribed  to  him  afford,  at  the  same 
time,  a  sufficient  reason  for  confiding  in  his  promises.  The 
terras  here  used  are  appropriated  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
in  Rev.  1  :  18.  2  :  8.  22  :  13.  There  is  no  need  of  giving 
to  the  preposition  in  the  last  clause  the  restricted  sense 
besides,  which  is  really  included  in  the  usual  and  strict  sense 
of  without,  i.  e.  without  my  knowledge  and  permission,  or 
without  subjection  to  my  sovereign  authority.  The  mean- 
ing is  not  simply,  that  there  is  no  other  true  God  in  exist- 
ence, but  that  even  the  Ityouei'oi  Osoi  (1  Cor.  8  :  5)  exist  only 
by  his  sufferance,  and  canpot  therefore  be  his  equals  or  com- 
petitors. 

7.  And  who,  like  me,  loill  call,  and  tell  it,  and  state  it  to  me, 
since  I  placed  the  anciejit  people ;  and  coming  things  and  things 


CHAPTER    XLIV.  143 

which  are  to  come  will  tell  to  them  (or  for  thein^elvcs)  ?  There  is 
no  reason  why  the  iuterrogatioii  should  not  be  considered  as 
extending  through  the  verse,  the  rather  as  a  different  construc- 
tion splits  the  sentence  into  several,  and  arbitrarily  explains 
some  of  the  futures  as  imperatives.  The  usual  construction 
of  the  next  words  is,  let  him  tell  it  etc. ;  but  this  imperative 
meaning  is  sufficiently  implied  in  the  strict  translation  of  the 
words  as  interrogative  futures,  ivho  will  tell  it  etc.  xn;?  is  to  call 
aloud  or  publicly  announce.  It  differs  from  the  next  verb,  if 
at  all,  by  denoting  an  authoritative  call,  and  suggesting  the 
idea  not  only  of  prediction  but  of  creation,  r^ns  is  a  forensic 
term  meaning  to  state  a  case.  The  words  siiice  I  placed  etc.  are 
to  be  connected  with  ''Si^S,  ivho  can  call.,  as  I  have  done.^  ever 
since  I  placed  etc.  To  place  is  here  to  constitute,  create,  or 
give  existence.  Instead  of  ancie7it  people  some  would  read 
eternal  people.,  but  refer  it  simply  to  the  divine  purpose  or 
decree  of  election.  Others  give  it  the  sense  oi^verlasting  peo- 
ple., I.  e.  a  people  who  shall  last  forever.  In  all  these  senses 
the  description  is  appropriate  to  Israel,  not  simply  as  a  nation 
but  a  church,  the  existence  and  prerogatives  of  which  are  still 
continued  in  the  body  of  Christ.  It  may  be  doubted,  however, 
whether  anything  more  was  here  intended  than  a  reference  to 
the  origin  of  the  human  race.     (See  above,  on  ch.  42 :  5,  6.) 

8.  QvMne  not  and  fe:ir  not ;  have  I  not  since  then  let  thee  hear 
and  told  (thee),  and  are  ye  not  my  witnesses  ?  Is  there  a  God  with- 
out me?  And  there  is  no  roc];.,  I  knoic  not  {any).  The  alterna- 
tion of  the  singular  and  plural  form  in  reference  to  Israel,  is 
peculiarly  appropriate  to  an  ideal  or  collective  person,  and  in 
strict  agreement  with  the  usage  of  the  Pentateuch,  especially 
with  that  of  Deuteronomy,  in  which  the  same  apparent  con- 
fusion of  numbers  is  not  a  mere  occasional  phenomenon,  but 
one  of  perpetual  occurrence.  Since  then  may  refer  to  the  event 
mentioned  in   the  preceding  verse,  viz.  the  constitution  of  the 


144  CHAPTER   XLIV. 

"  ancient  people."  And  ye  are  my  witnesses  is  usually  construed 
as  an  independent  clause;  but  a  possible  construction  is  to  in- 
clude it  in  the  question  as  above.  Here,  as  in  many  other 
cases,  God  is  called  a  Hock,  as  being  the  refuge  of  his  people, 
and  the  firm  foundation  of  their  hopes. 

9.  The  image-carvers  all  of  them  are  vanity^  and  their  desired 
(or  beloved)  mi'^s  are  icorthlcss ;  and  their  vriincsses  themselves  will 
not  see  and  will  not  knoir,  that  they  may  be  ashamed.  Having  for- 
tified his  promise  by  a  solemn  affirmation  of  his  own  supremacy, 
in  contrast  with  the  ignorance  and  impotence  of  idols,  he  now 
carries  out  this  contrast  in  detail.  The  literal  meaning  of  the 
first  phrase,  is  the  formers  of  a  graeen  image^  here  put  for  idols 
in  general.  Vanity  is  here  to  be  taken  as  a  negative  expression 
of  the  strongest  kind,  denoting  the  absence  of  all  life,  intelli- 
gence, and  power,  and  corresponding  to  the  parallel  expression 
thry  cannot  profit^  i.  e.  they  are  worthless.  The  desired  or  favour- 
ite things  of  the  idolaters  are  the  idols  themselves,  upon  which 
they  lavished  time,  expense,  and  misplaced  confidence.  The 
next  phra.se  is  commonly  explained  to  mean,  their  witiiesses  are 
themselves^  i.  e.  they  are  their  own  witnesses,  which  may  either 
represent  the  idols  as  witnessing  against  their  worshippers,  or 
the  worshippers  against  the  idols,  or  either  of  these  classes 
against  itself  Others  connect  these  words  with  the  fol- 
lowing verbs.  The  meaning  then  is,  that  the  idolaters  who 
bear  witness  to  the  divinity  of  their  idols  are  themselves  blind 
and  ignorant. 

10.  Wlio  forined  the  god  and  cast  the  image  to  no  use  (or  profit)  ? 
Most  interpreters  regard  this  as  an  exclamation  of  contemptuous 
surprise,  implying  that  no  one  in  his  senses  would  do  so.  But 
it  is  best  to  understand  what  follows  as  the  answer  to  this 
question.  Having  affirmed  the  worthlessness  of  idols  in  gene- 
ral, he  now  proceeds  to  prove  it  from  their  origin.     So  far  from 


CHAPTER    XLIV.  145 

being  makers,  they  are  made  themselves,  and  loho  made  them? 
This  is  the  precise  force  of  the  verse  before  us.  Here  as  else- 
where there  is  pungent  sarcasm  in  the  application  of  the  name 
El  {Mighty  God)  to  idols. 

1 1.  io,  all  his  fdloios  shall  be  ashamed^  and  the  loorkmcn  them- 
srlvcs  are  of  men  ;  they  shall  assemble  all  of  them,  they  shall  stand, 
they  shall  tremble,  they  shall  be  ashamed  together.  The  pronoun 
his  refers  to  the  idol  itself,  and  by  his  fellows  we  are  to  under- 
stand all  who  have  anything  to  do  with  it,  either  as  manufac- 
turers or  worshippers.  (Compare  Num.  25  :  3.  Deut,  11  :  22. 
30  :  20.  Is  56  :  3,  6.  Hos.  4:17.  1  Cor.  10  :  20.)  Of  men, 
i.  e.  members  of  the  human  family  or  race.  The  makers  of 
the  idol  are  themselves  mere  men,  and  cannot  therefore  pro- 
duce anything  divine.  The  senseless  idol  and  its  human 
makers  shall  be  witnesses  against  each  other,  and  shall  all 
be  involved  in  the  same  condemnation  and  confusip-n. 

12.  He  has  carved  iron  {ivilh)  a  graver,  and  has  wrought  (it) 
in  the  coals,  and  with  the  hammers  he  will  shape  it,  and  then  work 
it  with  his  arm  of  strength.  Besides  (or  moreover),  he  is  hungry 
and  has  no  strength,  he  has  not  drunk  water  and  is  faint.  The 
meaning  and  construction  of  several  of  the  words  here  used 
have  been  disputed,  but  the  most  probable  meaning  of  the 
whole  verse  is  the  one  just  expressed  in  the  translation.  The 
common  version,  strength  of  his  arms,  is  a  needless  and  en- 
feebling transposition.  The  true  sense  of  the  words  is  his  arm 
of  strength.  The  description  in  the  last  clause  seems  intended 
to  convey  these  several  ideas :  that  the  man  who  undertakes 
to  make  a  god  is  himself  a  mortal,  subject  to  ordinary  human 
infirmities ;  that  his  god  is  utterly  unable  to  relieve  him  or 
supply  his  wants ;  and  that  neither  these  considerations  nor 
the  toil  which  he  must  undergo  in  order  to  attain  his  end  are 
sufficient  to  deter  him  from  his  self-tormenting  efforts. 

VOL.  II. — "7 


146  CHAPTER  XLIV. 

13.  He  has  carved  toood^  he  has  stretched  a  line,  he  will  mark  it 
with  the  aiol  (or  graver),  he  tdll  form  it  with  the  chisels,  and  with 
the  compass  (or  circle)  he  ivill  mark  it,  and  then  make  it  (or  noio  he 
has  made  it)  like  the  structure  (i.  e.  after  the  model)  of  a  man, 
like  the  beauty  of  mankind,  to  dioell  in  a  house.     In  this  verse,  as 
in  that  before  it,  the  alternation  of  the  preterite  and  future  in- 
troduces us  into  the  very  midst  of  the  process,  and  describes  it 
as  already  begun  but  not  yet  finished.     This  distinctive  feature 
of  the  passage  is  destroyed  by  making  all  the  verbs  indiscrimi- 
nately present.     The  future  at  the  opening  of  the  second  clause 
may  either  denote  simply  that  the  act  described  is  subsequent 
to  that  just  mentioned,  or  it  may  represent  what  was  just  now 
future  as  already  done,  thereby  rendering  the  view  of  a  pro- 
gressive operation  still  more  vivid.     The  two  markings  or  de- 
lineations mentioned  are  commonly  supposed  to  have   respect 
to  the  general  dimensions  of  the  figure  and  then  to  its  precise 
form  and  proportions.     The  meaning  of  the  last  words  of  the 
verse   seems  to  be  that  the  idol,  being  like  a  man  in  form,  is, 
like  a  man,  to  dwell  in  a  house. 

14.  To  hew  him  doivn  cedars;  and  (now)  he  has  taken  cypress 
and  an  oak,  and  has  strengthened  (i.  e.  raised  it)  for  himself 
among  the  trees  of  the  forest  ;  he  has  planted  a  pine,  and  the  rain 
shall  increase  (it,  i.  e.  make  it  grow).  To  show  more  clearly  the 
absurdity  of  ascribing  deity  to  material  images,  he  here  goes 
back,  not  only  to  their  human  origin  and  their  base  material, 
but  to  the  very  generation  of  the  trees  by  which  the  wood  is 
furnished.  The  particulars  are  stated  in  an  inverse  order. 
He  begins  with  the  felling  of  the  trees,  but  interrupts  himself 
in  order  to  go  still  further  back  to  their  very  cultivation.  The 
essential  idea  is  that  man,  instead  of  being  the  creature,  is  in 
some  sort  the  creator  of  the  wood  he  worships,  since  it  does 
or  may  owe  its  existence  to  his  agency.  One  of  the  Hebrew 
words  strictly  denotes  a  species  of  oak,  but  the  common  ver- 


CHAPTER  XLIV.  147 

sion  cypress  may  be  retained,  as  it  yields  an  appropriate 
sense,  and  as  botanical  precision  is  in  this  case  of  no  exe- 
getical  importance,  since  the  meaning  of  the  verse  would 
be  the  same  whatever  species  had  been  mentioned.  The 
strict  sense  of  mciking  strong  corresponds  exactly  to  that 
of  making  great  expressed  by  the  last  words,  both  meaning 
here  to  cause  to  grow.  Thus  understood,  the  word  helps  to 
bring  out  with  more  strength  and  clearness  the  main  idea  of 
the  verse,  viz.  that  the  idolater  not  only  chooses  suitable  trees, 
but  plants  and  raises  them  for  the  purpose.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary to  suppose  that  this  is  a  description  of  a  usual  or  frequent 
custom.  It  is  rather  an  ideal  exhibition  of  the  idol-manufac- 
ture carried  out  to  its  extreme.  The  last  clause  is  added  to 
complete  the  picture  of  the  natural  origin  and  growth  of  that 
which  the  idolater  adores  as  superhuman  and  divine.  At  the 
same  time  it  implies  the  patient  perseverance  of  the  devotee, 
who  first  does  his  part  and  then  waits  for  naitural  causes  to 
do  theirs,  and  all  for  the  production  of  an  idol ! 

15.  And  it  shall  be  to  men  for  buriiing  (i.  e.  for  fuel),  a7id  he 
has  taken  of  them  a^id  warmed  himself;  yes^  he  will  kindle  and  bake 
bread  ;  yes^  he  will  form  a  god  and  fall  prostrate  ;  he  has  made  it 
a  graven  image  and  bowed  down  to  them.  The  future  meaning 
of  the  first  verb  is  determined  by  its  intimate  connection  with 
the  last  word  of  the  foregoing  verse.  The  Prophet  seems  de- 
signedly to  interchange  the  singular  and  plural  forms,  in  order 
to  identify  with  more  effect  the  idol  worshipped  and  the  sticks 
consumed.  He  takes  of  them  (the  sticks),  kindles  a  fire,  warms 
himself,  bakes  bread,  then  makes  a  god,  and  worships,  yes,  bows 
down  before  them  (the  sticks  of  wood).  The  argument  of  this 
and  the  succeeding  verses  is  intended  to  exhibit  the  absurdity 
of  worshipping  the  same  material  that  is  constantly  applied  to 
the  most  trivial  domestic  uses. 


148  CHAPTER  XLIV. 

16.  Half  of  it  he  hath  burned  in  the  fire^  on  half  of  it  he  will 
tat  fleshy  he  will  roast  roast  and  be  filled  ;  yea,  he  will  ivarm  him- 
self and  say,  Aha,  I  am  tvarm,  I  have  seen  fire.  The  indefinite 
translation  ^j(*r/,  given  in  the  English  version,  ia  intended  to 
avoid  the  incongruity  of  making  two  halves  and  a  remainder. 
But  this  incongruity  has  no  existence  in  the  original ;  because 
the  first  and  second  half  of  v.  16  are  one  and  the  same  half, 
and  the  other  is  not  introduced  until  the  next  verse.  The 
phrase,  on  half  of  it  he  eats  flesh,  may  be  explained  as  a  pregnant 
or  concise  expression  of  the  idea,  that  over  or  by  means  of  the 
fire  made  with  half  of  it  he  cooks  flesh  for  his  eating.  The 
obscurity  of  this  clause  is  immediately  removed  by  the  addition 
of  the  unambiguous  words,  he  roasts  a  roast  and  satisfies  himself. 
The  force  of  yea,  both  here  and  in  the  foregoing  verse,  appears 
to  be  equivalent  to  that  of  our  expression  nay  more,  not  only 
this  but  also,  or  moreover.  The  Hebrew  verb  in  the  last  clause 
not  only  may  but  must  have  here  its  proper  meaning,  I  have 
seen ;  because  the  noun  which  follows  does  not  denote  the  heat 
of  fire  but  its  light,  and  there  could  not  be  a  more  natural  ex- 
pression of  the  feeling  meant  to  be  conveyed  than  by  referring 
to  the  cheerful  blaze  of  a  large  wood  fire.  To  the  indiscrimi- 
nate translationof  the  verbs,  both  in  this  verse  and  the  next,  as 
descriptive  presents,  the  same  objections  may  be  made  as  in  the 
foregoing  context. 

17.  A7id  the  rest  of  it  (i.  e.  the  other  half)  he  has  made  into  a 
god,  into  his  graven  image  ;  he  will  bow  down  to  it,  and  will 
tvorship,  a?id  will  pray  to  it,  and  say,  Deliver  me,  for  thou  (art)  my 
god.  The  consecution  of  the  tenses  is  the  same  as  in  the  pre- 
ceding verse,  and  has  the  same  effect  of  fixing  the  point  of  ob- 
servation in  the  midst  of  the  process.  He  has  kindled  his  fire, 
and  will  use  it  to  prepare  his  food.  He  has  made  his  idol,  and 
will  fall  down  and  pray  to  it.  The  pronoun  at  the  end  may  be 
regarded  as  emphatic  and  as  meaning  thou  and  thou  alone. 


CHAPTER    XLIV.  149 

18.  They  have  not  kno^cn.  and  thry  loill  not  understand,  for  he 
halh  smeared  their  eyes  from  seemg,  their  hearts  from  doing  wisely. 
The  combination  of  the  preterite  and  future  makes  the  descrip- 
tion more  complete  and  compi-eheusive.  As  the  smearing  of 
the  eyes  is  merely  a  figure  for  spiritual  blindness,  it  is  here  ex- 
tended to  the  heart,  of  which  it  is  not  literally  predicable. 

19.  And  he  will  not  bring  it  home  to  himself  [ov  to  his  heart), 
and  {there  is)  not  knowledge,  and  [there  is)  not  understanding  to 
say,  Half  of  it  I  have  burned  in  the  fire,  and  have  also  baked  bread 
on,  its  coah,  I  roill  roast  flesh  and  eat,  and  the  rest  of  it  I  will 
make  to  {be)  an  abomination,  to  a  log  of  wood  (or  the  trunk  of  a 
tree)  I  will  cast  myself  down.  The  essential  meaning  is.  that 
they  have  not  sense  enough  to  describe  their  conduct  to  them- 
selves in  its  true  colours  ;  if  they  did,  they  would  stand  amazed 
at  its  impiety  and  folly.  In  the  form  of  expression  the  writer 
passes  from  the  plural  to  the  singular,  i.  e.  fr«m  idolaters  in 
general  to  the  individual  idolater.  The  first  phrase  does  not 
correspond  exactly  to  the  English  lay  to  heart,  but  compre- 
hends reflection  and  emotion.  The  construction  of  the  last 
clause  as  an  explanation  or  an  interrogation  has  arisen  from  a 
wish  to  avoid  the  incongruity  of  making  the  man  call  himself 
a  fool  or  express  his  resolution  to  perform  a  foolish  act.  But 
this  very  incongruity  is  absolutely  necessary  to  the  writer's 
purpose,  which  is  simply  to  tell  what  the  infatuated  devotee 
would  say  of  his  own  conduct  if  he  saw  it  in  its  true  light. 
Instead  of  saying,  I  will  worship  my  god,  he  would  then  say.  I 
will  worship  a  stick  of  wood,  a  part  of  the  very  log  which  I  have 
just  burned,  upon  whichi  I  have  just  baked  my.  bread,  and  on 
which  I  am  just  about  to  cook  my  dinner.  The  more  revolting 
and  absurd  this  language,  the  more  completely  does  it  suit  and 
carry  out  the  writer's  purpose.  Hence  too  the  use  of  the  term 
abo7nination,  i.  e.  object  of  abhorrence,  not  in  the  worshipper's 
actual  belief,  but  as  it  would  be  if  his  eyes  were  opened 


160  CHAPTER    XL IV. 

20.  Feeding  on  ashes,  {his)  heart  is  deceived,  it  has  led  him 
astray,  and  he  cannot  deliver  himself  {or  his  soul),  and  he  will  not 
say,  Is  there  not  a  lie  in  my  right  hand  ?  Another  statement 
of  the  reason  why  he  cannot  see  his  conduct  in  its  just  light 
or  describe  it  in  correct  terms,  viz.  because  his  very  nnind  or 
heart  is  deceived,  and  this  because  it  feeds  on  ashes.  Feeding 
on  ashes  is  a  figure  for  the  love  and  prosecution  of  unsatisfying 
objects,  analogous  to  feeding  on  tvind,  Hos.  12:  1.  The  word 
denotes  something  more  than  simply  to  take  pleasure  in  an 
object,  and  suggests  the  idea  of  choosing  it  and  resting  in  it  as 
a  portion.  The  features  of  the  last  clause  have,  in  part  if  not 
exclusively,  a  potential  meaning.  It  is  best  perhaps  to  com- 
bine the  ideas  of  unwillingness  and  inability.  The  concluding 
question  is  equivalent  in  import  to  the  long  speech  put  into  the 
mouth  of  the  idolater  in  v.  19.  By  a  lie  we  are  to  understand 
that  which  professes  to  be  what  it  is  not,  and  thereby  deceives 
the  hopes  of  those  who  trust  in  it.  (See  Jer.  10  :  14. 
Ps.  33:  17.)  This  description  some  apply  to  the  idol  itself,  as 
if  he  had  said,  Is  not  this,  which  I  carry  in  my  right  hand,  a 
deception  1  But  as  this  makes  a  part  of  the  interrogation 
literal  and  a  part  metaphorical,  most  writers  give  it  uniformity 
by  understanding  all  the  terms  as  figurative :  Is  not  this,  about 
which  I  am  busied,  and  upon  which  I  am  spending  strength 
and  labour,  a  deception  ?  To  any  one  rational  enough  to  ask 
the  question,  the  reply  would  be  affirmative  of  course. 

21.  Remember  these  {things),  Jacob  and  Israel,  for  thou  art  my 
servant ;  I  have  formed  thee,  a  servant  unto  me  art  thou  ;  Israel, 
thou  shalt  not  be  forgotten  by  me.  Having  completed  his  detailed 
exposure  of  the  folly  of  idolatry,  or  rather  of  the  impotence 
of  idols,  as  contrasted  with  the  power  of  God,  he  now  resumes 
the  tone  of  promise  and  encouragement  with  which  the  chapter 
opens,  and  assures  the  chosen  people,  here  personified  as  Israel 
or  Jacob,  that  having  been  constituted  such  by  Jehovah  for  a 


CHAPTER    XLIV.  151 

special  purpose,  they  could  not  cease  to  be  the  objects  of  his 
watchful  care.  These  things  may  possibly  refer  to  the  imme- 
diately succeeding  statements,  which  may  then  be  rendered 
that  thou  art  my  servant  etc.  To  most  interpreters,  however,  it 
has  seemed  more  natural  to  understand  by  these  things  the 
whole  foregoing  series  of  arguments  against  the  divinity  of 
idols  and  in  favour  of  Jehovah's  sole  supremacy. 

22.  I  have  blotted  out^  like  a  cloudy  thy  transgressions^  and^  like 
a  vapour,  thy  sins ;  return  to  vie^for  I  have  redeemed  thee.  As  the 
previous  assurances  were  suited  to  dispel  any  doubt  or  hesitation 
as  to  the  power  of  Jehovah,  so  the  one  in  this  verse  meets 
another  difficulty,  namely,  that  arising  from  a  sense  of  guilt. 
The  assurance  given  is  that  of  entire  and  gratuitous  forgive- 
ness. The  analogy  of  Exodus  32  :  32,  33,  would  seem  to 
favour  an  allusion  to  the  blotting  out  of  an  inscription  or  an 
entry  in  a  book  of  accounts.  The  cloud  may  then  be  a  dis- 
tinct figure  to  denote  what  is  transient  or  evanescent.  (See 
Hos.  6:4.  13  :  3.  Job  7  :  9.  30:  15.)  Most  interpreters  sup- 
pose the  blotting  and  the  cloud  to  be  parts  of  one  and  the 
same  metaphor,  although  they  differ  in  their  method  of  con- 
necting them.  The  great  majority  of  writers  are  agreed  that 
the  cloud  itself  is  here  described  as  being  blotted  out,  but  some 
suppose  an  allusion  to  the  height  and  distance  of  the  clouds 
as  being  far  beyond  man's  reach,  implying  that  forgiveness  is  a 
divine  prerogative.  A  more  usual  and  natural  supposition 
is  that  the  clouds  in  general  are  here  considered  as  intervening 
between  heaven  and  earth,  as  sin  is  expressly  said,  in  eh.  59  :  2, 
to  separate  between  God  and  his  people.  This  explanation  of 
the  metaphor,  however,  does  not  exclude  the  supposition  of  a 
reference  to  the  fleeting  nature  of  cloudy  vapour,  and  the  ease 
and  suddenness  with  which  it  is  dispelled  by  sun  or  wind. 
Cloud  and  vapour  are  poetical  equivalents.  So  far  as  they  can 
be  distinguished,  either  in  etymology  or  usage,  the  correct  dis- 


152  CHAPTER    XLIV. 

tinction  is  the  one  expressed  in  the  English  Version  {thick  cloud 
and  cloud).  Return  unto  me  is  a  phrase  descriptive  of  all  the 
restorations  of  God's  people  from  their  spiritual  wanderings 
and  estrangements.  The  restriction  of  this  phrase  and  the 
one  which  follows  it  to  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  from  exile, 
is  as  forced  and  arbitrary  as  the  future  form  given  to  the  verb 
in  many  versions. 

23.  Sing^  oh  heavens,  for  Jehovah  hath  done  [it)  ;  shout ^  ye  lower 
parts  of  the  earth;  break  forth,  ye  mountains,  into  song,  the  forest 
and  every  tree  in  it :  for  Jehovah  hath  redeemed  Jacob,  and  in  Israel 
he  will  glorify  himself  The  prediction  of  glorious  and  joyful 
changes,  as  in  many  other  cases,  is  clothed  in  the  form  of  an 
exhortation  to  all  nature  to  rejoice.  The  thing  done  is  what  is 
mentioned  in  the  last  clause,  i.  e.  the  redemption  of  Israel,  in- 
cluding the  deliverance  from  exile  in  Babylon,  but  not  confined 
to  it.  The  arbitrary  version  of  the  two  verbs  in  the  last  clause 
as  a  preterite  and  present  or  a  present  and  a  future  is  in  no 
respect  to  be  preferred  to  the  exact  translation  as  a  preterite 
and  a  future,  expressive  of  what  Grod  had  done  and  would  yet 
do  for  the  chosen  people. 

24.  Thus  saith  Jehovah  thy  redeemer,  and  thy  former  from  the 
womb,  I  Jehovah,  making  all,  stretching  the  heavens  alone,  spread- 
ing the  earth  by  myself  {ox  who  was  zvith  me  ?).  Some  refer  thus 
saith  to  the  preceding  promises,  and  take  all  that  follows  till 
the  end  of  the  chapter  as  a  description  of  the  being  who 
uttered  them.  Others  refer  thus  saith  to  what  follows,  supply 
the  verb  am  before  Jehovah,  and  regard  the  last  clause  of  the 
verse  as  the  divine  declaration.  A  third  conceivable  construc- 
tion would  restrict  it  to  the  closing  question,  who  (is)  loith  me  ? 
i.  e.  who  can  claim  equality  or  likeness  with  me?  Who' [is  or 
ivas)  with  me?  implying  strong  negation  and  equivalent  in 
meaning  to  the  affirmation,  there  was  no  one  with  vie. 


CHAPTER  XLIV.  153 

25.  Breaking  the  signs  of  babblers,  and  diviners  he  will  madden ; 
turning  sages  back,  and  their  knowledge  he  will  stultify.  The 
whole  verse  is  descriptive  of  Jehovah  as  convicting  all  prophets, 
except  his  own,  of  folly  and  imposture,  by  falsifying  their  prog- 
nostications. The  second  noun  is  commonly  translated  either  lies 
or  liars  ;  but  it  is  rather  an  expression  of  contempt,  denoting 
praters,  vain  or  idle  talkers,  and  by  implication  utterers  of 
falsehood.  Signs  are  properly  the  pledges  and  accompaniments 
of  predictions,  but  may  here  be  regarded  as  equivalent  to  pro- 
phecy itself.  These  are  said  to  be  broken  in  the  same  sense 
that  breathing  may  be  predicated  of  a  promise  or  a  covenant. 
The  effect  of  course  would  be  to  make  such  prophets  seem  like 
fools  or  madmen.  (See  2  Sam.  15  :  31.  Hos.  9  :  7.)  The  re- 
striction of  these  terms  to  the  false  prophets  of  the  Babylonish 
exile  is  not  only  arbitrary,  but  at  variance  with  the  context, 
which  repeatedly  contrasts  the  omnipotence  and  omniscience 
of  Jehovah  with  the  impotence  of  idols  and  the  ignorance  of 
heathen  prophets.  The  alternation  of  the  future  and  participle 
seems  to  have  a  rhythmical  design.  The  distinction  may  how- 
ever be,  that  while  the  latter  signifies  habitual  or  customary 
action,  the  former  expresses  certain  futurity  and  fixed  deter- 
mination. 

26.  Confirming  the  word  of  his  servant,  and  the  counsel  of  his 
messengers  he  will  fulfil ;  the  {one)  saying  to  (or  as  to)  Jerusalem, 
She  shall  be  inhabited,  and  to  (or  as  to)  the  cities  of  Judah,  They 
shall  be  built,  and  her  ruins  I  will  raise.  With  the  frustration 
of  the  heathen  prophecies  is  here  contrasted  the  fulfilment  of 
Jehovah's,  who  is  himself  represented  as  securing  their  ac- 
complishment. The  word  translated  confirming  has  here  the 
same  sense  as  in  Jer.  29  :  10.  33  :  14,  viz.  that  of  bringing  a 
promise  or  prophecy  to  pass.  His  servant  may  refer  primarily 
and  directly  to  the  writer  himself,  but  con.sidered  as  one  of  a 
class,  who  are  then  distinctly  mentioned  in  the  other  member  as 

7* 


154  CHAPTER    XLIV. 

his  messengers.  The  specific  application  of  the  title  of  God's 
servant  to  the  prophets  is  apparent  from  2  Kings  24  :  2. 
Jer.  29  :  19.  35  :  15.  44  :  4.  Most  writers  make  counsel  a 
description  of  prophecy,  considered  as  involving  or  suggesting 
counsel  and  advice  with  respect  to  the  future.  (Compare  the 
similar  application  of  the  verb  in  ch.  41  :  28.)  The  last  clause, 
beginning  with  the  words  the  one  saying  might  be  considered  as 
a  more  specific  designation  or  description  of  his  servant,  viz.  the 
{servant)  saying  etc.  But  this  interpretation  is  precluded  by 
the  double  repetition  of  the  words  in  the  two  succeeding  verses 
and  in  evident  application  to  Jehovah  himself.  To  raise  up 
the  ruins  of  a  city  is  of  course  to  rebuild  it. 

27.  The  {one)  saying  to  the  decp.^  Be  dry.  and  I  will  dry  up  thy 
floods  (or  streams).  This  may  be  understood  as  a  description 
of  God's  power  over  nature  and  the  elements,  with  or  without 
an  allusion  to  the  passage  of  the  Red  Sea  at  the  exodus.     This 

-exposition  is  strongly  recommended  by  the  analogy  of  ch.  42  :  15. 
43  :  16.  50  :  2.  51  :  10.  That  of  Jer.  50  :  38.  51  :  36  does  not 
prove  that  Isaiah's  description  was  designed  to  have  exclusive 
reference  to  the  conquest  of  Babylon  by  Cyrus,  but  only  that 
this  was  included  in  it  as  a  signal  instance  of  God's  power  to 
overcome  all  obstacle*,  and  that  the  later  prophet  made  a  spe- 
cific application  of  the  words  accordingly. 

28.  The  {one)  saying,  to  (or  as  to)  Cyi-us,  My  shepherd,  and  all 
my  pleasure  he  will  fulfil,  and  saying  to  Jerusalem,  Thou  shall  be 
built,  and  {to)  the  temple.  Thou  shall  be  fou?ided.  It  is  now 
universally  admitted  that  this  verse  has  reference  to  Cyrus  the 
Elder  or  the  Great,  the  son  of  Cambyses  king  of  Persia  and 
the  grandson  of  Astyages  the  Mede,  the  hero  of  the  Cyropaedia 
and  of  the  first  book  of  Herodotus,  the  same  who  appears  in 
sacred  history  (2  Chr.  36  :  23.  Ezra  1  :  1)  as  the  actual  re- 
storer of  the  Jews  from  exile.     He  is  here  called  Jehovah's 


CHAPTER   XLV.  165 

shepherd,  which  may  either  be  the  usual  poetical  designation  of 
a  king,  so  common  in  the  oldest  classics,  or  a  special  descrip- 
tion of  his  mission  and  vocation  to  gather  the  lost  sheep  of  the 
house  of  Israel.  All  my  pleasure,  i.  e.  with  respect  to  the  de- 
liverance of  the  Jews  from  exile.  The  construction  of  the 
word  translated  saying  is  obscure  and  difficult.  Some  refer  it 
to  Cyrus,  and  understand  it  as  explaining  how  he  was  to  fulfil 
Jehovah's  pleasure,  namely,  by  saying  etc.  This,  on  the  whole, 
is  the  most  natural  construction,  although,  like  the  others,  it 
leaves  unexplained  the  introduction  of  the  copulative  particle 
before  the  verb,  which  must  either  be  rendered  as  in  the  Eng- 
lish Version  [even  saying),  or  disregarded  as  an  idiomatic 
pleonasm.  The  same  ambiguity  respecting  the  person  of  the 
verb  exists  in  the  last  clause  of  this  verse  as  in  v.  26. 


CHAPTER   XLV. 


This  chapter  contains  the  same  essential  elements  with  those 
before  it,  but  in  new  combinations  and  a  varied  form.  The 
great  theme  of  the  prophecy  is  still  the  relation  of  Israel  to 
God  as  his  chosen  people,  and  to  the  nations  as  a  source  or 
medium  of  saving  knowledge.  This  last  idea  is  brought  out 
with  great  distinctness  at  the  close  of  the  chapter.  The  proofs 
and  illustrations  of  the  doctrine  taught  are  still  drawn  from 
the  power  of  Jehovah,  as  displayed  in  the  creation  of  the 
world,  and  as  contrasted  with  the  impotence  of  idols.  The 
evidence  of  prescience  afibrded  by  prophecy  is  also  here  re- 
peated and  enlarged  upon.  As  a  particular  prospective  exhi- 
bition both  of  power  and  foreknowledge,  we  have  still  before 
us  the  conquests  of  Cyrus,  which  are  specifically  foretold  and 


156  CHAPTER   XL V. 

explicitly  connected  with  the  favour  of  Jehovah  as  their  pro- 
curing cause,  and  with  the  liberation  of  his  people  and  the 
demonstration  of  his  deity  as  their  designed  effect. 

As  to  the  order  and  arrangement  of  tlie  parts,  the  chapter 
opens,  in  direct  continuation  of  the  forty-fourth,  with  a  further 
prophecy  of  Cyrus  and  of  his  successes,  vs.  1-3.  These  are 
then  referred  to  the  power  of  Grod  and  his  design  of  mercy 
towards  his  people,  so  that  all  misgivings  or  distrust  must  be 
irrational  and  impious,  vs.  4-13.  Then  leaving  Cyrus  out  of 
view,  the  Prophet  turns  his  eyes  to  the  nations,  and  declares 
that  they  must  be  subdued,  but  only  in  order  to  be  blessed  and 
saved,  which  is  declared  to  have  been  the  divine  purpose  and 
revealed  as  such  from  the  beginning,  vs.  14-25. 

1.  Thus  saith  Jehovah  to  his  a7iomtecl^  to  Cyrus^  whose  right 
hand  I  have  held  fast,  to  tread  down  before  him  nations,  and  the 
loins  of  kings  I  will  loose  ;  to  open  before  him  double  doors,  a?id 
gates  shall  not  be  shut.  The  words  of  Jehovah  seem  to  begin 
regularly  with  the  next  verse  ;  but  even  in  this,  which  is 
strictly  introductory,  they  are  mingled  with  the  Prophet's  de- 
scription of  Cyrus,  a  mode  of  composition  very  common  in  He- 
brew, and  among  the  oldest  writers,  who  thought  more  of  the 
idea  than  of  the  form  in  which  it  was  expressed.  The  accumu- 
lation of  descriptive  epithets,  which  is  represented  as  char- 
acteristic of  these  Later  Prophecies,  arises  from  the  fact  that 
one  main  object  which  the  writer  had  in  view  was  to  impress 
upon  the  reader's  mind  the  attributes  of  God  and  of  his  chosen 
instruments.  Cyrus  is  here  called  the  Lord's  anointed,  a  des- 
ignation elsewhere  limited,  as  Calvin  says,  to  the  sacerdotal 
monarchy  of  Judah,  which  prefigured  Christ  in  both  his  offices 
of  priest  and  king.  Most  writers  understand  it  hert  as  a 
synonyme  of  ki7ig,  derived  from  Jewish  usages,  and  not  in- 
tended to  indicate  anything  peculiar  in  the  royalty  of  Cyrus, 
except  that  he  was  raised  up  by  Jehovah  for  a  special  purpose. 


CHAPTER   XLV.  157 

Calvin  thinks  it  still  more  pregnant  and  emphatic,  and  descrip- 
tive of  Cyrus  as  a  representative  of  Christ  in  this  one  thing, 
that  he  was  instrumentally  the  saviour  or  deliverer  of  Israel 
from  bondage.  The  treading  down  of  nations  is  a  trait  pecu- 
liarly appropriate  in  this  case,  as  the  Greek  historians  give 
long  catalogues  of  distinct  nations  subjugated  by  Cyrus,  such 
as  the  Medes,  Assyrians,  Arabians,  Cappadocians,  Phrygians, 
Lydians,  Carians,  Babylonians,  etc.  To  loose  the  loins  of 
kings  is  explained  by  Calvin  as  meaning  to  weaken  them, 
because  the  strength  is  in  the  loins ;  others  suppose  an  allu- 
sion to  the  removal  of  the  sword-belt,  as  the  ancient  method 
of  disarming  or  dismissing  from  active  service.  But  most  of 
the  modern  writers  are  agreed  that  the  words  at  least  include  a 
reference  to  the  ordinary  use  of  the  girdle  as  a  part  of  oriental 
drcfss,  on  which  the  activity  of  the  wearer  and  his  exercise  of 
strength  are  in  a  great  degi'ee  dependent,  as  it  gathers  up  and 
tightens  the  flowing  garments  which  would  otherwise  impede 
his  movements.  All  interpreters  admit  that  while  this  clause,  in 
its  most  general  sense,  is  perfectly  appropriate  to  all  the  fortified 
places  which  were  attacked  by  Cyrus,  it  is  specifically  and  re- 
markably appropriate  to  the  taking  of  Babylon.  It  can  scarcely 
be  considered  a  fortuitous  coincidence,  that  Herodotus  speaks 
of  the  gates  which  led  to  the  river  as  having  been  left  open  on 
the  night  of  the  attack;  and  Xenophon  says  the  doors  of  the 
palace  itself  having  been  unguardedly  opened,  the  invaders 
took  possession  of  it  almost  without  resistance.  These  appa- 
rent allusions  to  particular  circumstances  and  events,  couched 
under  general  predictions,  are  far  more  striking  and  conclusive 
proofs  of  inspiration  than  the  most  explicit  and  detailed  pre- 
diction of  the  particular  event  alone  could  be. 

2.  I  will  go  before  thee,  and  U72 even  places  I  will  kvel,  doors  of 
brass  I  will  break,  and  bars  of  iron  I  will  cut.  The  first  clause 
describes  the  removal  of  difficulties  under  the  figures   used 


158  CHAPTER    XLV. 

for  the  same  purpose  in  cli*40  :  4.  The  other  clause  would 
seem  at  first  sight  to  contain  an  analogous  figure ;  but  it  really 
includes  one  of  those  minute  coincidences  with  history,  of  which 
we  have  already  had  an  example  in  the  preceding  verse. 
Herodotus  and  Abydenus  say  expressly  that  the  gates  of 
Babylon  were  all  of  brass.     (Compare  Ps.  107  :  16.) 

3.  And  I  tvill  give  thee  treasures  of  darkness  and  hidden  riches 
of  secret  places,  in  order  that  thou  mayest  know  that  I  Jehovah,  the 
[one)  calling  thee  by  name,  am  the  God  of  Israel.  It  is  thought 
by  some  eminent  writers  that  no  conquests  have  ever  been  at- 
tended with  such  acquisition  of  wealth  as  those  of  Cyrus. 
Pliny's  account  of  what  he  obtained  from  Croesus  makes  it, 
according  to  Brerewood's  computation,  more  than  126,000,000 
pounds  sterling.  The  last  clause  gives  a  reason  why  this  cir- 
cumstance is  mentioned,  namely,  in  order  that  Cyrus  might  be 
able  to  identify  the  being  who  brought  it  to  pass  wjth  the  being 
who  foretold  it.  The  same  consideration  will  account  for  the 
mention  of  the  name  of  Cyrus  ;  so  that  even  if  it  were  a  bolder 
violation  of  analogy  and  usage  than  it  is,  there  would  still  be 
a  sufl&cient  explanation  of  it  furnished  by  the  divine  purpose 
to  exert  a  direct  influence  through  this  prediction  upon  Cyrus 
himself  That  such  an  influence  was  really  exerted  by  the 
writings  of  Isaiah  is  expressly  asserted  by  Josephus,  and  would 
seem  to  be  implied  in  the  monarch's  solemn  recognition  of 
Jehovah  as  the  true  God  and  the  author  of  his  own  successes. 
(Ezra  1  :  2.) 

4.  For  the  sake  of  my  servant  Jacob  and  Israel  my  chosen,  there- 
fore will  I  call  thee  by  thy  name,  I  ivill  give  thee  a  title.,  and  thou 
hast  not  kyimvn  me.  Not  only  for  God's  glory  in  the  general, 
but  with  a  view  to  the  promotion  of  his  gracious  purposes  to- 
wards Israel.  Thou  hast  not  known  me  may  either  mean  that 
he  was  not  a  follower  of  the  true  religion,  or  that  the  name 


CHAPTER   XLV.  159 

was  given  long  before  he  did  or  could  know  anything  of  him- 
who  gave  it.  The  verb  expresses  past  time  not  in  reference  to 
the  date  of  the  prediction,  but  to  that  of  the  fulfilment. 

5.  /  am  Jehovah  (i.  e.  the  eternal,  self-existent  God)  and 
there  is  no  other ;  except  me  there  is  no  Gnd  ;  I  will  gird  thee  and 
thou  hast  not  knoum  me.  What  is  said  before  of  naming  him  is 
here  said  of  girding  him,  i.  e.  investing  him  with  royal  dignity 
or  personally  strengthening  him ;  both  may  be  included. 

6.  That  they  may  knoio,  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  to  the  tvest 
(or  to  his  going  doivn),  that  there  is  7ione  without  me ;  I  am  Je- 
hovah, and  there  is  no  other.  What  was  said  before  of  Cyrus  in 
particular  is  now  said  of  men  in  general,  viz.  that  they  must  be 
convinced  in  this  way  that  the  God  of  Israel  is  the  one  true 
God. 

7.  Forming  light  and  creating  darkness,  making  peace  and 
creating  evil,  I  {am)  Jehovah  doing  all  these  (things).  Some 
suppose  an  allusion  to  the  dualism  or  doctrine  of  two  co- 
eternal  principles  as  held  by  the  ancient  Persians.  Others 
object  that  the  terms  are  too  indefinite,  and  their  general  sense 
too  obvious,  to  admit  of  this  specific  application.  But  this 
whole  passage  is  characterized  by  the  recurrence  of  expres- 
sions, the  generic  sense  of  which  seems  clear,  but  which,  at  the 
same  time,  seems  to  bear  and  even  to  require  a  more  specific 
explanation,  unless  we  choose  rather  to  assume  an  extraordi- 
nary series  of  fortuitous  coincidences.  The  open  doors,  the 
gates  of  brass,  the  hidden  treasures,  are  examples  of  this 
double  sense,  if  such  it  may  be  called,  within  the  compass 
of  three  verses.  This  analogy  makes  it  rather  probable  than 
otherwise  that  in  the  case  before  us,  while  the  Prophet's  lan- 
guage may  be  naturally  taken  as  a  general  description  of  God's 
universal  power,  an  allusion  was  intended  to  the  great  distinc- 


160  CHAPTER   XL  V. 

live  doctrine  of  the  faitli  in  which  Cyrus  had  most  probably 
been  educated.  For  if  it  cannot  be  distinctly  proved, 
it  can  as  little  be  disproved,  and  is  intrinsically  altogether 
credible,  that  the  doctrine  of  the  Zendavesta  is  as  old  as 
Cyrus. 

8.  Drof  (or  distil)  ye  heavens  from  abovr,  and  let  the  clouds  pour 
out  righteousness ;  let  the  earth  open^  and  let  salvation  and  right- 
eousness groic^  let  her  bring  (th&ni)  forth  together.  I  Jehovah  have 
have  created  it.  There  is  a  singular  equivoque  in  the  common 
version  of  the  first  clause,  drop  down  ye  heavens  from  above, 
which  might  seem  to  be  a  call  upon  the  skies  to  fall,  if  the 
sense  were  not  determined  by  the  parallel  expression.  The 
prediction  of  events  in  the  form  of  a  command  is  peculiarly 
frequent  in  Isaiah's  later  prophecies.  The  manifestation  of 
God's  righteousness,  including  his  fidelity  to  his  engagements, 
is  constantly  recognized  in  Scripture  as  one  chief  end  of  his 
dispensations. 

9.  Woe  to  (or  alas  for)  him  striving  with  his  maker — a  potsherd 
with  potsherds  of  earth.  Shall  clay  say  to  its  former,  What  art 
thou  doing?  and  thy  tvork,  lie  has  no  hands  ?  Striving  with  God 
is  not  merely  active  resistance,  but  opposition  of  judgment  and 
affection.  The  second  member  of  the  first  clause  has  been  very 
variously  construed.  The  analogy  of  what  precedes  would  seem 
to  make  it  mean,  tcoe  to  the  potsherd  (^striving)  with  the  potsherds 
of  the  earth.  But  this  is  universally  agreed  to  be  inadmissible, 
a  proof  that  the  principle  of  parallelism  has  its  limitations. 
The  Peshito  renders  it,  a  potsherd  of  {ov  from)  the  potsherds  of  the 
earth,  thus  making  the  whole  phrase  a  description  of  the  weak- 
ness and  insignificance  of  man.  This  consti'uction  is  adopted 
by  the  modern  writers,  almost  without  exception  ;  most  of  whom, 
however,  give  to  the  preposition  its  proper  sense  of  with,  which 
they  suppose  to  imply  likeness  and  relationship.     It  seems  to 


CHAPTER   XLV.  161 

be  a  just  observation  that  earth  is  not  mentioned  as  the  dwelling 
of  the  potsherd,  but  as  its  material.  What  art  thou  doin^-  is  the 
common  Hebrew  formula  for  calling  to  account,  or  questioning 
the  propriety  of  what  one  does.  (See  Job  9 :  12,  Ecc.  8:4. 
Dan.  4:  35.)  The  last  words  of  the  verse  have  also  been  the 
subject  of  many  discordant  explanations.  Some  of  the  older 
writers  make  them  a  continuation  of  the  same  speech  :  tchat  art 
thou  doing  ?  and  [as  for)  thy  ivork,  it  has  no  ha)id.s,  i.  e.  it  is  un- 
finished. But  most  interpreters  agree  that  thy  work  introduces 
a  new  speaker.  And  (shall)  thy  work  {say  of  thee)^  he  has  no 
hands?  There,  are  no  hands  to  him,  i.  e.  he  has  no  power.  The 
absurdity  consists  in  the  thing  made  denying  the  existence  of 
the  hands  by  which  it  was  itself  produced.  The  essential  idea 
is  the  same  as  in  ch.  10:  15,  but  the  expression  here  much 
stronger,  since  the  instrument  is  not  merely  charged  with  ex- 
alting itself  above  the  efficient  agent,  but  the  creature  with 
denying  the  power  or  skill  of  its  creator.  The  Restriction  of 
this  verse,  and  of  those  which  follow,  to  the  Babylonians,  or  the 
Jews  in  exile,  is  entirely  arbitrary  and  at  variance  with  the 
context,  which  refers  to  the  conquests  of  Cyrus  and  their  con- 
sequences, not  as  the  main  subject  of  the  prophecy,  but  as  illus- 
trations of  a  general  truth.  The  form  of  speech  used  by  Paul 
in  Bom.  9  :  20  {ichy  hast  thou  made  vie  thus  ?)  is  not  a  version 
but  a  paraphrase  of  the  one  here,  in  which  however  it  is  really 
included. 

10.  Woe  to  (him)  saying  to  a  father,  What  tvilt  thou,  beget,  and 
to  a  woman.  What  wilt  thou  bring  forth  ?  The  same  idea  is  again 
expressed,  but  in  a  form  still  more  emphatic  and  revolting. 
The  incongruities  which  have  perplexed  interpreters  in  this 
verse  are  intentional  aggravations  of  the  impious  absurdity 
which  it  describes.  The  writer's  main  design  is  to  represent 
tlie  doubt  and  discontent  of  men  in  reference  to  God's  future 
dealings  with  them  as  no  less  monstrous  than  the  supposition 


162  CHAPTER    XLV. 

of  a  child's  objection  to  its  own  birth.  Such  an  objection,  it  is 
true,  cannot  be  ofl'ered  in  tlie  case  supposed ;  but  in  the  real 
case  it  ought  to  be  held  equally  impossible.  This  view  of  the 
Prophet's  meaning,  if  correct,  of  course  precludes  the  explana- 
tion of  the  words  as  a  complaint  of  weakness  or  deformity,  or 
an  expression  of  disgust  with  life,  like  that  in  Job  3  :  20  and 
Jeremiah  20 :  14. 

1 1 .  Thus  sailh  Jehovah,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  and  his  Maker, 
Ask  me  {of)  the  things  to  come,  concerning  my  sous  and  concerning 
the  work  of  my  hands  ye  m.ay  command  me.  You  may  ask  me 
concerning  things  to  come,  for  I  am  able  to  inform  you ;  you 
may  trust  my  children  to  my  own  care,  for  I  am  abundantly  able 
to  protect  them.  Command  is  a  common  expression  for  giving 
one  authority  over  any  thing  or  person,  or  in  other  words  com- 
mitting it  to  him,  and  leaving  it  at  his  disposal.  For  the  mean- 
ing of  work  of  my  hands  as  an  equivalent  to  my  children,  or  my 
people,  see  vol.  i.  p   248. 

12.  I  made  the  earth,  and  man  upon  it  I  created ;  I,  my  hands, 
spread  the  heavens,  and  all  their  host  commanded.  This  is  a  justi- 
fication of  the  claim  in  the  last  clause  of  the  foregoing  verse,  or 
a  statement  of  the  reason  why  he  could  be  trusted  to  protect 
his  people,  namely,  because  he  was  almighty,  and  had  proved 
himself  to  be  so  in  creation.  The  personal  pronoun  is  emphatic 
in  both  clauses,  as  if  he  had  said,  it  is  I  who  made,  or,  I  (and  no 
other)  made  etc.  The  construction  of  the  second  of  these  pro- 
nouns with  my  hands  has  been  variously  explained.  Some  re- 
gard the  latter  as  equivalent  to  an  ablative  of  instrument  in 
Latin  :  I  with  my  hands  have  spread  etc.  Others  consider  it  an 
instance  of  the  idiom  which  adds  the  personal  pronoun  to  the 
suffix  for  the  sake  of  emphasis  :  /,  ?ny  hands,  spread,  i.  e.  my  own 
hands  spread.  In  such  constructions  the  personal  pronoun 
commonly  stands  last.    A  third  supposition  is  that  the  pronoun 


CHAPTER   XLV.  163 

is  in  apposition  with  the  noun  itself,  and  not  so  much  emphatic 
as  explanatory.  I  {that  is  lo  say,  my  hands)  have  spread.  (Com- 
pare Ps.  3  :  5.  17  :  13,  14.  44  :  3.  60  :  7.)  The  last  words  of  the 
verse  admit  of  two  explanations.  We  may  understand  the 
figure  as  a  military  one,  and  give  the  verb  the  military  sense  of 
commanding.  Or  we  may  take  host  as  a  common  expression  for 
contents  or  inhabitants,  and  understand  the  verb  as  meaning 
called  into  existence.  (Compare  Ps.  33  :  9.)  In  itself,  the  former 
explanation  seems  entitled  to  the  preference  ;  but  it  requires 
the  verb  to  be  construed  as  an  indefinite  preterite  or  a  present, 
whereas  all  the  other  verbs,  though  similar  in  form,  relate  to  a 
determinate  past  time,  viz.  the  time  of  the  creation. 

13:  /(and  no  other)  raised  him  up  in  righteousness,  and  all  his 
ways  loill  I  make  straight  (or  level);  [it  is)  he  {that)  shall  build 
my  city,  and  my  captivity  (or  exiles)  he  will  send  {home),  not  for 
reward,  and  not  for  hire,  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts.  Fi'6m  the  gene- 
ral proof  of  divine  power  afi'orded  by  creation  he  descends  to 
the  particular  exercise  of  his  omnipotence  and  wisdom  in  the 
raising  up  of  Cyrus,  who  is  thus  referred  to  without  the  express 
mention  of  his  name,  because  he  had  been  previously  made  the 
subject  of  a  similar  appeal,  and  the  Prophet  simply  takes  up 
the  thread  which  he  had  dropped  at  the  close  of  the  fifth  verse, 
or  perhaps  of  the  seventh.  For  the  sense  of  raising  up  in  right- 
eousness see  above,  on  ch.  41  :  2,  25.  42  :  6.  In  this,  as  well  as 
in  the  other  places,  some  suppose  an  allusion  to  the  personal 
character  of  Cyrus,  which  they  defend  with  great  warmth 
against  Burnet's  remark  in  his  History  of  the  Keformation, 
that  God  sometimes  uses  bad  men  as  his  instruments,  such  as 
the  cruel  Cyrus.  The  statements  of  Herodotus  to  this  effect 
they  treat  as  fabulous,  and  claim  full  credit  for  the  glowing 
pictures  of  the  Cyropaedia.  This  distinction  is  not  only  strange 
in  itself,  but  completely  at  war  with  the  conclusions  of  the  ablest 
modern  critics  and  historians.     Nor  is  there  the  least  need  of 


164  CHAPTER  XLV. 

insisting  thus  upon  the  moral  excellence  of  Cyrus,  who  in  either 
case  was  just  as  really  a  consecrated  instrument  of  the  divine 
righteousness  as  the  Medes  and  Persians  generally,  who  are  so 
described  in  ch.  13:  3.  At  the  same  time  allowance  must  be 
made  for  the  difference  between  what  Cyrus  was  before  and 
after  he  became  acquainted  with  the  true  religion.  (See  above, 
on  V.  3.)  The  figure  of  straight  or  level  paths  has  the  same 
sense  as  in  ch.  40  :  3.  My  city^  i.  e.  the  holy  city,  Jerusalem, 
of  which  Cyrus  was  indirectly  the  rebuilder.  The  form  of  the 
verb  send  here  used  is  not  unfiequently  applied  to  the  setting 
free  of  prisoners  or  slaves.  The  last  clause  seems  decisive  of 
the  question  whether  ch.  43 :  3,  4.  should  be  understood  as  a 
general  declaration  of  God's  distinguishing  affection  for  his 
people,  disposing  him  to  favour  them  at  the  expense  of  other 
nations,  or  as  a  specific  promise  that  Cyrus  should  conquer 
Ethiopia  and  Egypt,  as  a  compensation  for  releasing  Israel,  in 
which  case  he  could  not  be  said,  in  any  appropriate  sense,  to 
have  set  them  free  without  reward  or  hire. 

14.  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  The  toil  of  Egypt  and  the  gain  of  Cush 
and  the  Sebaim  men  of  measure  unto  thee  shall  pass,  and  to  thee  shall 
they  belong,  after  thee  shall  they  go,  in  chains  shall  they  j^ass  over 
(or  along)  ;  and  unto  thee  sJmll  they  bow  themselves,  to  thee  shall 
they  pray  {saying).  Only  in  thee  (is)  God,  and  there  is  none  be- 
sides, no  {other)  God.  The  first  clause  specifies  labour  and 
traffic  as  the  two  great  sources  of  wealth,  here  put  for  wealth 
itself,  or  for  the  people  who  possessed  it.  For  the  true  sense 
of  the  geographical  or  national  names  here  mentioned,  see  above, 
on  ch,  43  :  3.  In  both  places  they  are  named  by  way  of  sample 
for  the  heathen  world.  To  the  reasons  before  given  for  this 
interpretation  we  may  here  add  the  general  reference  to  idola- 
ters in  V.  16.  The  meaning  men  of  measure,  i.  e.  of  extraordinary 
stature,  is  determined  by  the  analogy  of  Num.  13:32.  I  Chr. 
1 1  :  23.  20 : 6,  and  confirmed  by  the  description  of  the  Ethio- 


CHAPTER    XL*/.  165 

plans  in  ancient  history,  Herodotus  speaking  of  them  as 
fiiyiarot,  u>{)(Jwnojv  '  tlie  largest  of  men.'  Their  stature  is 
here  mentioned  to  enhance  the  glory  and  importance  of 
the  conquest.  Whether  the  chains  are  here  considered  as 
imposed  by  their  conquerors,  or  by  themselves  in  token  of 
a  voluntary  submission,  is  a  question  which  the  words  them- 
selves leave  undecided.  The  same  thing  may  be  said  of  the 
prostration  mentioned  afterwards,  which  in  itself  might  be  con- 
sidered as  denoting  the  customary  oriental  act  of  obeisance  or 
civil  adoration,  although  usually  found  in  such  connections  as 
require  it  to  be  taken  in  a  religious  sense,  which  is  here  further 
indicated  by  the  addition  of  the  verb  to  pray.  These  strong 
expressions  were  employed  because  the  explanation  was  to  fol- 
low. .Instead  of  saying,  thei/  shall  worship  God  who  dwtils  in 
thcc,  the  Prophet  makes  his  language  more  expressive  by  saying, 
they  shall  ivorship  thee ;  and  then  immediately  explains  his  own 
language  by  adding  their  acknowledgment,  only  iiiAhee  is  God, 
or  to  give  the  Hebrew  word  its  full  force,  an  almighly  God, 
implying  that  the  gods  of  other  nations  were  but  gods  in  name. 
This  exclusive  recognition  of  the  God  of  Israel  is  then  repeated 
in  a  way  which  may  to  some  seem  tautological,  but  which  is 
really  emphatic  in  a  high  degree.  The  question  now  presents 
itself,  in  what  sense  the  subjection  of  the  nations  is  here  prom- 
ised. That  a  literal  conquest  of  Ethiopia  and  Egypt  by  the 
Jews  themselves  is  here  predicted,  none  can  maintain  but  those 
who  wish  to  fasten  on  Isaiah  the  charge  of  ignorance  or  gross 
imposture.  The  most  natural  interpretation  of  the  passage  is 
the  common  one.  which  makes  it  a  prophecy  of  moral  and 
spiritual  conquests,  to  be  wrought  by  the  church  over  the  nations, 
and,  as  one  illustrious  example,  by  the  Jews'  religion  over  the 
heathenism  of  many  countries,  not  excepting  the  literal  Ethio- 
pia, as  we  learn  from  Acts  8  :  27. 

15.    Verily  thou  art  a  God  hiding  thyself,  oh  God  of  Israel,  the 


166  CHAPTER   XLV. 

Saviour !  The  abrupt  transition  here  has  much  perplexed  in- 
terpreters. The  most  natural  supposition  is  that  the  verse  is 
an  apostrophe,  expressive  of  the  Prophet's  own  strong  feelings 
in  contrasting  what  God  had  done  and  would  yet  do,  the  dark- 
ness of  the  present  with  the  brightness  of  the  future.  If  these 
things  are  to  be  hereafter,  then  oh  thou  Saviour  of  thy  people, 
thou  art  indeed  a  God  that  hides  himself,  that  is  to  say,  con- 
ceals his  purposes  of  mercy  under  the  darkness  of  his  present 
dispensations.  Let  it  be  observed,  however,  that  the  same 
words,  which  furnish  a  vehicle  of  personal  emotion  to  the 
Prophet,  are  in  fact  a  formula  of  wider  import,  and  contain 
the  statement  of  a  general  truth. 

16.  T/ic]/  are  ashamed  and  also  confounded  all  of  them  together, 
they  are  gone  into  coiifusion.  (or  aioaij  in  confusion) — the  carvers 
of  hnages.  Unless  we  assume,  without  necessity  or  warrant,  an 
abrupt  and  perfectly  capricious  change  of  subject,  this  verse 
must  contain  the  conclusion  of  the  process  described  in  the 
foregoing  context.  We  might  therefore  expect  to  find  Egypt, 
Ethiopia,  and  Seba,  introduced  again  by  name ;  but  instead  of 
these,  the  sentence  closes  with  a  general  expression,  which  has 
already  been  referred  to  as  a  proof  that  the  war  in  question  is 
a  spiritual  war,  and  that  the  enemies  to  be  subdued  are  not  cer- 
tain nations,  in  themselves  considered,  but  the  heathen  world, 
the  vast  mixed  multitude  who  worship  idols.  These  are  de- 
scribed as  the  carvers  or  artificers  of  images,  which  strengthens 
the  conclusion  before  drawn,  that  the  smith  and  carpenter  and 
cook  and  baker  and  cultivator  of  ch.  44  :  12-16,  are  one  and 
the  same  person,  viz.  the  idolatrous  devotee  himself. 

17.  Israel  is  saved  in  Jehovah  {with)  an  everlasting  salvation 
(literally,  salvation  of  ages  or  eternities) ;  ye  shall  not  be  ashamed, 
and  ye  shall  7iot  be  confounded  forever  (literally,  n7itil  the  ages  of 
eternity),  or  as  the   English  Version  has  it,  world  without  end. 


CHAPTER    XLV.  167 

This  is  the  counterpart  and  contrast  to  the  threatening  in  the 
verse  preceding,  upon  which  it  throws  some  light  by  showing 
that  the  shame  and  confusion  which  awaits  the  idolater  is  not 
mere  wounded  pride  or  sense  of  disappointment,  but  the  loss 
and  opposite  of  that  salvation  which  is  promised  to  God's  peo- 
ple, or  in  other  words,  eternal  perdition.  Israel  is  saved 
already,  i.  e.  his  salvation  is  secured,  not  merely  through  the 
Lord  but  ill  him,  i.  e.  by  virtue  of  an  intimate  and  vital  union 
with  him,  as  genuine  and  living  members  of  his  body.  The 
general  form  of  this  solemn  declaration,  and  the  eternity  again 
and  again  predicted  of  the  salvation  promised,  seems  to  show 
that  the  Israel  of  this  text  and  of  others  like  it,  is  not  the 
Jewish  people,  considered  simply  as  an  ancient  nation,  but  the 
Jewish  people  considered  as  the  church  of  God,  a  body  which 
has  never  ceased  and  never  will  cease  to  exist  and  claim  the 
promises. 

18.  For  thus  saith  Jehovah,  the  creator  of  the  heavens — he  is 
God — the  former  of  the  earth  and  its  maker — he  established  it — not 
in  vain  (or  not  to  be  empty)  did  he  create  it — to  dwell  in  (or  to  be 
inhabited)  he  formed  it — I  am  Jehovah,  and  there  is  none  besides. 
This  verse  assigns  a  reason  for  believing  in  the  tlireatening 
and  the  promise  of  the  two  preceding  verses,  viz.  that  he  who 
uttered  them  not  only  made  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  but 
made  them  for  a  certain  purpose,  which  must  be  accomplished. 
The  ojjly  difficulty  of  construction  is  the  question  where  Jehovah's 
words  begin,  and  this  admits  of  several  different  answers.  We 
may  read.  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  The  creator  of  the  heavens  is  God  ; 
in  which  case  the  divine  address  begins  with  a  formal  state- 
ment of  the  argument  derived  from  the  creation.  Again,  we 
may  read,  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  The  creator  of  the  heavens  is  the 
God  who  formed  the  earth.  But  most  interpreters  suppose  the 
beginning  of  Jehovah's  own  words  to  be  marked  by  the  intro- 
duction of  the  pronoun  of  the  first  person,  I  am  Jehovah  and 


168  CHAPTER    XLV. 

there  is  no  other.  All  that  precedes  is  then  to  be  regarded  as  a 
description  of  the  speaker,  including  two  parenthetical  proposi- 
tions, each  beginning  with  the  pronoun  He  :  the  creator  of  the 
heavens  {he  is  God),  the  former  of  the  earth  and  its  viaker  {he  estab- 
lished it).  The  common  version  of  the  next  clause,  he  created 
it  not  in  vain,  is  admissible,  but  less  expressive  than  the  more 
specific  rendering,  he  created  it  7iot  {to  be)  a  ^oaste  (or  empty). 
In  the  last  clause  Jehovah  is  employed  as  a  descriptive  title, 
and  is  substantially  equivalent  to  bx,  which  the  Prophet  uses  in 
a  similar  connection  in  v.  22  below. 

19.  Not  in  secret  have  I  spoken,  in  a  dark  place  of  the  earth 
(or  i?i  a  place,  to  wit,  a  land  of  darkness).  I  have  not  said  to  the 
seed  of  Jacob,  In  vain  seek  ye  me.  I  (am)  Jehovah,  speaking  truth, 
declaring  rectitudes  (or  right  things).  The  doctj-ine  of  the  pre- 
ceding verse  is  no  new  revelation,  but  one  long  ago  and  uni- 
versally made  known.  Some  suppose  an  allusion  to  the  mys- 
terious and  doubtful  responses  of  the  heathen  oracles.  The 
analogy  of  vs.  1,  2,  3,  makes  it  not  improbable  that  such  an 
allusion  is  couched  under  the  general  terms  of  the  verse  before 
us.  Of  the  next  clause  there  are  several  distinct  interpreta- 
tions. The  oldest  and  most  common  makes  it  mean  that  Grod 
had  not  required  the  people  to  consult  him  in  relation  to  futurity 
"without  obtaining  satisfactory  responses. 

20.  Gather  yourselves  and  come,  draio  near  together  ye  escaped 
of  the  nations.  They  knoiv  not,  those  carrying  the  wood,  their 
graven  image,  and  praying  to  a  God  {who)  cannot  save.  In  the 
first  clause  the  idolaters  are  addressed  directly  ;  in  the  second 
they  are  spoken  of  again  in  the  third  person.  The  challenge 
or  summons  at  the  beginning  is  precisely  similar  to  that  in 
ch.  41:21  and  43  :  9.  Escaped  of  the  nations  has  been  variously 
explained  to  mean  the  Jews  who  had  escaped  from  the  oppres- 
sion of  the  gentiles,  and  the  gentiles  who  had  escaped  from  the 


CHAPTER   XLV.  169 

dominion  of  idolatry.  But  these  last  would  scarcely  have 
been  summoned  to  a  contest.  On  the  whole,  it  seems  most 
natural  to  understand  the  nations  who  survived  the  judgments 
sent  by  God  upon  them.  The  Hebrew  phrase  is  in  itself  am- 
biguous. The  explanation  which  agrees  best  with  the  whole 
connection  is  the  one  that  supposes  the  idolaters  still  left 
(i.  e.  neither  converted  nor  destroyed)  to  be  the  object  of 
address.  If  there  are  any  still  absurd  enough  to  carry  about 
a  wooden  god  and  pray  to  one  who  cannot  save,  let  them  as- 
semble and  draw  near.  They  do  not  know  is  commonly  ex- 
plained to  mean  they  have  no  knowledge  ;  but  it  is  more  accord- 
ant with  the  usage  of  the  language  to  supply  a  specific  object. 
They  do  not  know  it,  or,  they  do  not  know  what  they  are 
doing,  they  are  not  conscious  of  their  own  impiety  and  folly. 
The  Averse  contains  two  indirect  reflections  on  the  idols,  first, 
that  they  are  wooden,  then,  that  they  are  lifeless  and  depend- 
ant on  their  worshippers  for  locomotion. 

21.  Bring  forward  and  bring  near  !  Yca^  let  them  consult  to- 
gether. Who  has  caused  this  to  be  lieard  of  old,  since  then  declared 
it  ?  Have  not  I  Jehovah  ?  and  there  is  7io  other  God  besides  me  ; 
a  righteous  and  a  saving  God,  there  is  none  besides  me.  The  ob- 
ject of  the  verbs  in  the  first  clause,  is  yoitr  cause  or  your  argu- 
ments, as  in  ch.  41  :  21.  The  change  of  person  in  the  next 
clause  implies  that  they  are  unable  or  unwilling  to  accept  the 
challenge,  or  at  least  in  doubt  and  hesitation  with  respect  to 
it  They  are  therefore  invited  to  deliberate  together,  or,  as 
some  understand  it,  to  take  counsel  of  those  wiser  than  them- 
selves. Instead  of  waiting  longer  for  their  plea,  however,  he 
presents  his  own,  in  the  common  form  of  an  interrogation,  ask- 
ing who  except  himself  had  given  evidence  of  prescience  by 
explicitly  foretelling  events  stllf  far  distant,  and  of  saving 
power  by  delivering  his  people  from  calamity  and  bondage. 
Have  not  I  Jehovah,  and  there  is  no  other  God  besides  me  ?  is  a 

VOL.    II. — 8 


no  CHAPTER   XLV. 

Hebrew  idiom  equivalent  to  the  Euglish  question,  Have  not  /, 
besides  whom  there  is  no  other  God  ? 

22.  Turn  unto  me  and  be  saved  all  ye  ends  of  the  eaiih^  for  I 
am  God  and  there  is  none  besides.  From  the  preceding  declara- 
tions it  might  seem  to  follow  that  the  gentile  world  had  noth- 
ing to  expect  but  the  perdition  threatened  in  v.  15.  But  now 
the  Prophet  brings  to  view  a  gracious  alternative,  inviting 
them  to  choose  between  destruction  and  submission,  and  show- 
ing that  the  drift  of  the  foregoing  argument  was  not  to  drive 
the  heathen  to  despair,  but  to  shut  them  up  to  the  necessity 
of  seeking  safety  in  the  favour  of  the  one  true  God,  whose  ex- 
clusive deity  is  expressly  made  the  ground  of  the  exhortation. 
The  Hebrew  word  does  not  correspond  exactly  to  the  English 
ZooA:,  but  denotes  the  act  of  turning  round  in  order  to  look  in 
a  different  direction.  The  text  therefore  bears  a  strong  an- 
alogy to  those  in  which  the  heathen  when  enlightened  are  de- 
scribed as  turning  from  their  idols  unto  God.  (See  1  Thess. 
1  :  9.  Acts  14  :  15.  15  :  19.)  The  ends  of  the  earth  is  a  phrase 
inclusive  of  all  nations,  and  is  frequently  employed  in  refer- 
ence to  the  conversion  of  the  gentiles.  (See  Ps  22  :  27.  72  :  8. 
Zech.  9  :  10.)  The  question  whether  Christ  is  to  be  regarded 
as  the  speaker  in  this  passage,  is  of  little  exegetieal  impor- 
tance. To  us.  who  know  that  it  is  only  through  him  that  the 
Father  saves,  this  supposition  appears  altogether  natural  ;  but 
it  does  not  follow  that  any  such  impression  would  be  made  or 
was  intended  to  be  made  upon  an  ancient  reader. 

23.  By  myself  I  have  sworn  ;  the  word  is  gone  out  of  a  mouth  of 
righteousness.,  and  shall  not  return.,  that  unto  me  shall  how  every 
knee.,  shall  swear  every  tongue.  The  form  of  the  divine  oath 
elsewhere  used  is  by  my  life  or  as  I  live  (Num.  14  :  21,  28. 
Deut.  32  :  40).  Hence  Paul  in  his  quotation  of  this  text 
(Rom.  14:  11)  uses  the  formula,  Zw  i-^ih,  which  may  be  re- 


CHAPTER    XL V.  171 

garded  as  an  accurate  paraphrase,  though  not  as  a  rigorous 
translation.  A  word,  i.  e.  a  promise  or  prophecy,  is  said  in 
Hebrew  to  return  when  it  is  cancelled  or  recalled.  (See  Isaiah 
55:  11.)  The  kneeling  and  swearing  in  the  last  clause  are 
acts  of  homage,  fealty,  or  allegiance,  which  usually  went  to- 
gether (1  Kings  19  :  18)  and  involved  a  solemn  recognition  of 
the  sovereignty  of  him  to  whom  they  were  tendered.  This 
verse  affords  a  clear  illustration  of  the  difference  between  the 
act  of  swearing  to  and  swearing  by  another.  (Compare  ch. 
19  :  18.)  This  test  is  twice  applied  by  Paul  to  Christ 
(Rom.  14  J  11.  Phil.  2:  10),  in  proof  of  his  regal  and  judi- 
cial sovereignty.  It  does  not  necessarily  predict  that  all 
shall  be  converted  to  him,  since  the  terms  are  such  as  to  in- 
clude both  a  voluntary  and  a  compulsory  submission,  and  in 
one  of  these  ways  all  without  exception  shall  yet  recognize  him 
as  their  rightful  sovereign. 

24.  Only  in  Jehovah  have  I,  says  he  (or  says  one)^  righteousness 
and  strength ;  unto  him  shall  he  (or  shall  one  or  shall  they)  come, 
and  all  that  were  incensed  (or  inflamed)  at  him  shall  be  ashamed. 
The  general  meaning  evidently  is  that  God  alone  can  justify 
or  give  protection. 

25.  In  Jehovah  shall  be  justified  and  boast  themselves  (or  glory) 
all  the  seed  of  Israel.  This  verse  is  intended  to  wind  up  the 
previous  addresses  to  the  gentiles  with  a  solemn  declaration  of 
their  true  relation  to  the  chosen  people,  as  composed  of  those 
who  really  believed  and  feared  God,  whether  Jews  or  gentiles. 
This  principle  was  recognized  in  every  admission  of  a  proselyte 
to  the  communion  of  the  ancient  church,  and  at  the  change  of 
dispensations  it  is  clearly  and  repeatedly  asserted  as  a  funda- 
mental law  of  Christ's  kingdom  under  every  variety  of  form 
(See  Rom.  10:  12.  Gal.  3 :  28,  29.  Col.  3:11.) 


172  CHAPTER    XLVI. 


CHAPTER   XLVI. 

Interpreters  are  strangely  divided  in  opinion  as  to  tlie 
connection  of  this  chapter  with  the  context.  The  arbitrary  and 
precarious  nature  of  their  judgments  may  be  gathered  from  the 
fact,  that  some  separate  the  first  two  verses  from  the  body  of 
the  chapter  and  connect  them  with  the  one  before  it,  while 
others  commence  a  new  "  cycle"  with  the  first  verse  of  this 
chapter,  and  one  represents  it  as  an  isolated  composition, 
unconnected  either  with  what  goes  before  or  follows.  Even 
the  older  writers,  who  maintain  the  continuity  of  the  dis- 
course, appear  to  look  upon  the  order  of  its  parts  as  being  not 
so  much  an  organic  articulation  as  a  mere  mechanical  juxtapo- 
sition. They  are  therefore  obliged  to  assume  abrupt  transitions, 
which,  instead  of  explaining  anything  else,  need  to  be  explained 
themselves.  All  this  confusion  is  the  fruit  of  the  erroneous  exe- 
getical  hypothesis,  that  the  main  subject  and  occasion  of  these 
later  prophecies  is  the  Babylonish  exile  and  the  liberation  from 
it,  and  that  with  these  the  other  topics  must  be  violently  brought 
into  connection  by  assuming  a  sufficiency  of  types  and  double 
senses,  or  by  charging  the  whole  discourse  with  incoherence. 
Equally  false,  but  far  less  extensive  in  its  influence,  is  the  as- 
sumption that  the  whole  relates  to  Christ  and  to  the  new  dis- 
pensation, so  that  even  what  is  said  of  Babylon  and  Cyrus  must 
be  metaphorically  understood.  Common  to  both  hypotheses  is 
the  arbitrary  and  exclusive  application  of  the  most  comprehen- 
sive language  to  a  part  of  what  it  really  expresses,  and  a  dis- 
torted view  of  the  Prophet's  themes  considered  in  their  mutual 
relations  and  connections.  The  whole  becomes  perspicuous, 
continuous,  and  orderly,  as  soon  as  we  admit  that  the  great 
theme  of  these  .prophecies  is  God's  designs  and  dealings  with 


CHAPTER    XLVI.  173 

the  church  and  with  the  world,  and  that  the  specific  predictions 
which  are  introduced  are  introduced  as  parts  or  as  illustrations 
of  this  one  great  argument.  By  thus  reversing  the  preposterous 
relation  of  the  principal  elements  of  the  discourse,  and  restoring 
each  to  its  legitimate  position,  the  connection  becomes  clear  and 
the  arrangement  easy. 

In  confirmation  of  the  general  threats  and  promises  with 
which  ch.  XLV.  is  wound  up,  the  Prophet  now  exhibits  the  par- 
ticular case  of  the  Babylonian  idols,  as  a  single  instance  chosen 
from  the  whole  range  of  past  and  future  history.  They  are 
described  ,as  fallen  and  gone  into  captivity,  wholly  unable  to 
protect  their  worshippers  or  save  themselves,  vs.  1,  2.  With 
these  he  then  contrasts  Jehovah's  constant  care  of  Israel  in 
time  past  and  in  time  to  come,  vs.  3,  4.  The  contrast  is  carried 
out  by  another  description  of  the  origin  and  impotence  of  idols, 
vs.  5-7,  and  another  assertion  of  Jehovah's  sole  divinity,  as 
proved  by  his  knowledge  and  control  of  the  future,  and  by  the 
raising  up  of  Cyrus  in  particular,  vs.  8-11.  This  brings  him 
back  to  the  same  solemn  warning  of  approaching  judgments, 
and  the  same  alternative  of  life  or  death,  with  which  the  fore- 
going chapter  closes,  vs.  12,  13. 

1.  Bel  is  bowed  doivn,  Ncbo  stoopi?ig ;  their  images  are  (con- 
signed) to  the  beasts  arid  to  the  cattle.  Your  burdens  are  packed  up 
[as)  a  load  to  the  weary  (beast.)  The  connection  with  what  goes 
before  may  be  indicated  thus  :  see  for  example  the  fate  of  the 
Babylonian  idols.  Of  these  two  are  mentioned,  either  as  arbi- 
trary samples,  or  as  chief  divinities.  The  dignity  of  these  two 
imaginary  deities  among  the  Babylonians  may  be  learned  from 
the  extent  to  which  these  names  enter  into  the  composition  of 
the  names  of  men,  both  in  sacred  and  profane  history.  Such 
are  Belshazzar,  Belteshazzar,  Belesys,  Nebuchadnezzar,  Nebu- 
zaradan,  Nabopolassar,  Nebonned,  etc.  Beyond  this  nothing 
more  is  needed  for  the  right  interpretation  of  the  passage,  where 


174  CHAPTER  XLVI. 

the  names  are  simply  used  to  represent  the  Babylonian  gods 
collectively.  Although  not  essential  to  the  general  meaning,  it 
is  best  to  give  the  past  tense  and  the  participle  their  distinctive 
sense,  as  meaning  strictly  that  the  one  has  fallen  and  the  other 
is  now  falling,  in  strict  accordance  with  Isaiah's  practice,  in 
descriptive  passages,  of  hurrying  the  reader  in  medias  rcs^  of 
which  we  have  already  had  repeated  instances.  The  pronoun 
in  their  images  might  be  supposed  to  refer  to  the  Babylonians, 
though  not  expressly  mentioned  ;  but  as  these  are  immediately 
addressed  in  the  second  person,  it  is  best  to  understand  the 
pronoun  as  referring  to  Bel  and  Nebo,  who,  as  heavenly  bodies 
or  imaginary  deities,  are  then  distinguished  from  the  images 
which  represented  them  in  the  vulgar  worship.  The  word 
translated  burdens  is  properly  a  passive  participle  used  as  a 
noun  and  meaning  your  carried  things  (in  old  English,  carriages), 
the  things  which  you  have  been  accustomed  to  carry  in  proces- 
sions or  from  place  to  place,  but  which  are  now  to  be  carried  in 
a  very  diflFerent  manner,  on  the  backs  of  animals,  as  spoil  or 
captives.  The  last  verb  properly  means  lifted  up  in  order  to  be 
carried,  but  may  here  be  rendered  packed  or  loaded,  though  this 
last  word  is  ambiguous.  Load  does  not  necessarily  denote  a 
heavy  load,  but  simply  something  to  be  carried. 

2.  They  stoop,  they  boto  together;  they  cannot  save  the  load; 
themselves  are  gone  into  captivity.  The  first  clause  may  mean 
that  they  are  now  both  fallen  ;  or  together  may  have  reference  to 
the  other  gods  of  Babylon,  so  as  to  mean  that  not  only  Bel  a«d 
Nebo  but  all  the  re.st  are  fallen.  The  last  member  of  the  first 
clause  has  been  variously  explained.  The  most  satisfactory 
interpretation  is  the  one  which  gives  the  word  load  the  same 
sense  as  in  v.  1,  and  applies  it  to  the  images  with  which  the 
beasts  were  charged  or  laden.  These  are  then  to  be  considered 
as  distinguished  by  the  writer  from  the  gods  which  they  repre- 
sented.    Bel  and  Nebo  are  unable  to  rescue  their  own  images. 


CHAPTER  XLVI.  _  176 

This  agrees  well  with  the  remainder  of  the  sentence,  themselves 
arc  gone  (or  literally  their  self  is  gone)  into  caplivity.  This  is  the 
only  way  in  which  the  reflexive  pronoun  could  be  made  emphatic 
here  without  an  awkward  circumlocution.  The  antithesis  is 
really  between  the  material  images  of  Bel  and  Nebo  and  them- 
selves^ so  far  as  they  had  any  real  existence.  The  whole  god, 
soul  and  body,  all  that  there  was  of  him,  was  gone  into  captivity. 
The  idea  of  the  conquest  and  captivity  of  tutelary  gods  was 
common  in  the  ancient  east,  and  is  alluded  to,  besides  this 
place,  in  Jer.  48  :  7.  49 :  3.  Hos.  10:5,  6.  Dan.  II  :  8,  to  which 
may  be  added  1  Sam.  5:1.  Whether  the  Prophet  here  refers 
to  an  actual  event  or  an  ideal  one,  and  how  the  former  supposi- 
tion may  be  reconciled  with  the  statement  of  Herodotus  and 
Diodorus,  that  the  great  image  of  Bel  at  Babylon  was  not  de- 
stroyed until  the  time  of  Xerxes,  are  questions  growing  out  of 
the  erroneous  supposition  that  the  passage  has  exclusive  refer- 
ence to  the  conquest  by  Cyrus ;  whereas  it  may  include  the 
whole  series  of  events  which  resulted  in  the  final  downfall  of 
the  Babylonian  idol  worship. 

3.  Hearken  unto  me^  oh  house  of  Jacob,  and  all  the  remnant  of 
the  house  of  Israel^  those  home  from  the  belly,  those  carried  from  the 
womb.  This  repetition,  analogous  to  that  in  oh.  42  :  2,  3,  is 
intended  to  suggest  a  contrast  between  the  failure  of  the  idols 
to  protect  their  worshippers  and  God's  incessant  care  of  his  own 
people.  The  gods  of  the  heathen  had  to  be  borne  by  them ; 
%it  Jehovah  was  himself  the  bearer  of  his  followers.  And  this 
was  no  new  thing,  but  coeval  with  their  national  existence. 
The  specific  reference  to  Egypt  or  the  Exodus  is  no  more  neces- 
sary here  than  in  ch.  44  :  2,  24.  48  :  8.  The  carrying  meant  ia 
that  of  children  by  the  nurse  or  parent.  The  same  comparison 
is  frequent  elsewhere.  (See  Num.  11:  12.  Deut.  1:31.  Ex.  19 : 
4.  Is.  63  :  9,  and  compare  Deut.  32  :  II,  12.  Hos.  11:3.  Is. 
40:  II.) 


116  CHAPTER  XLVI. 

4.  The  figure  of  an  infant  and  its  nurse  was  not  sufficient  to 
express  the  whole  extent  of  Grod's  fidelity  and  tenderness  to 
Israel.  The  first  of  these  relations  is  necessarily  restricted  to 
the  earliest  period  of  life,  but  God's  protection  is  continued 
without  limit.  And  to  old  age  I  am  He  (i.  e.  the  same),  atid  to 
gray  hair  I  will  bear  {you)  ;'  I  have  doyie  it  and  I  will  carry  and 
I  ivill  bear  and  save  {you).  As  I  have  done  in  time  past,  so  I 
will  do  hereafter.  The  general  analogy  between  the  life  of 
individuals  and  that  of  nations  is  sufficiently  obvious. 

5.  To  whom  will  ye  liken  me  and  equal  and  compare  me.,  that 
we  may  be  (literally,  and  we  shall  be)  like  ?  This  is  an  indirect 
conclusion  from  the  contrast  in  the  foregoing  context.  If  such 
be  the  power  of  idols,  and  such  that  of  Jehovah,  to  whom  will 
ye  compare  him  ?  The  form  of  expression  is  like  that  in  ch.  40  : 
18,  25. 

6.  The  prodigals  (or  lavish  ones)  will  weigh  gold  from  the  bag, 
amd  silver  with  the  rod  ;  they  will  hire  a  gilder.,  and  he  will  mOjke 
it  a  god ;  the.y  will  how  down.,  yea  they  will  fall  prostrate.  From 
the  bag  may  be  explained  either  as  meaning  taken  out  of  the 
purse,  or  in  reference  to  the  bag  of  weights,  in  which  sense  it  is 
used  in  Deut.  25:  13.  Mic.  6:11.  The  word  translated  rod  is 
properly  a  reed,  then  any  rod  or  bar,  such  as  the  shaft  of  a 
candlestick  (Ex.  25  :  31),  and  here  the  beam  of  a  balance  or  the 
graduated  rod  of  a  steelyard.  The  verse  has  reference  to  the 
wealthier  class  of  idol-worshippers.  #' 

7.  They  will  lift  him  on  the  shoulder,  they  tvill  carry  him,  they 
will  set  him  in  his  place,  and  he  will  stand  (there),  from  his  place 
he  will  not  move ;  yes,  one  will  cry  to  him,  and  he  will  not  arisiver  ; 
from  his  distress  he  will  (or  can)  not  save  him.  The  idol  is  not 
only  the  work  of  man's  hands,  but  entirely  dependent  on  him 
for  the  slightest  motion.     No  wonder  therefore  that  he  cannot 


CHAPTER    XL VI.  177 

hear  the  prayers  of  his  worshippers,  much  less  grant  them  the 
deliverance  and  protection  which  they  need. 

8.  Remember  this  and  show  yourselves  men ;  briyig  it  home,  ye 
apostates,  to  {your)  mind  (or  heart).  By  this  some  understand 
what  follows  ;  but  it  rather  means  what  goes  before,  viz.  the 
proof  just  given  of  the  impotence  of  idols,  the  worshippers  of 
which,  whether  Jews  or  gentiles,  are  addressed  in  this  verse  as 
apostates  or  rebels  against  God. 

9,  10.  Remember  former  thiiigs  of  old  [ox  from  eternity),  for  lam 
the  Mighty  and  there  is  no  other,  God  and  there  is  none  like  me, 
declaring  from  the  first  the  last,  and  from  ancient  time  the  things 
which  are  not  {yet)  done  (or  made),  saying.  My  counsel  shall  stand 
and  all  my  pleasure  I  will  do.  He  calls  upon  them  to  consider 
the  proofs  of  his  exclusive  deity,  afforded  not  only  by  the  nul- 
lity of  all  conflicting  claims,  but  by  the  fact  of  his  infallible 
foreknowledge,  as  attested  by  the  actual  prediction  of  events 
long  before  their  occurrence.  Instead  of /or  some  read  that,  ou 
the  ground  that  the  thing  to  be  believed  was  his  divinity ;  the 
former  things  being  cited  merely  as  the  proofs  of  it.  Declaring 
the  last  from  the  first,  or  the  end  from  the  beginning,  means 
declaring  the  whole  series  of  events  included  between  these  ex- 
tremes. My  counsel  shall  stand,  i.  e.  my  purpose  shall  be  exe- 
cuted. (See  ch.  7  :  7.  8  :  10.  14  :  24.  44  :  26.)  All  the  expres- 
sions of  the  ninth  verse  have  occurred  before  in  different  com- 
binations.    (See  ch.  42 :  14.  43 :  18.  45  :  21  etc.) 

11.  Calling  from  the  east  a  bird  of  prey,  from  a  land  of  distance 
the  man  of  his  counsel;  I  have  both  said  and  will  also  bring  it  to 
pass,  I  have  formed  (the  plan)  and  toill  also  do  it.  From  the 
general  assertion  of  his  providence  and  power,  he  now  passes  to 
that  specific  proof  of  it  which  has  so  frequently  been  urged 
before,  viz.  the  raising  up  of  Cyrus ;  but  without  the  mention 


178  CHAPTER    XLVI. 

of  liis  name  in  this  case,  and  with  an  indefiniteness  of  expres 
sion  which  is  perfectly  well  suited  to  the  general  analogy  of 
prophecy,  as  well  as  to  the  views  already  taken  in  the  exposi- 
tion of  ch.  44  :  28.  Calling  includes  prediction  and  efficiency, 
not  only  announcing  but  calling  into  being.  The  point  of  com- 
parison is  not  mere  swiftness  or  rapidity  of  conquest  (Hos.  8 : 
1.  Hab.  1  :  8.  Jer.  48:  40),  but  rapacity  and  fierceness.  Man 
of  his  coimsel  does  not  mean  his  counsellor,  as  it  does  in  ch.  40 : 
13,  but  either  the  executor  of  his  purpose,  or  the  agent  himself 
purposed  i.  e.  foreordained  by  God.  It  is  as  if  he  had  said.  I  am 
he  that  calls  the  man  of  his  counsel,  after  which  the  construction  is 
continued  regularly  in  the  first  person.  The  antithesis  ex- 
pressed is  that  between  design  and  execution. 

12.  Hearken  to  me,  ye  stout  of  heart,  those  far  from  righteousness. 
By  an  easy  and  natural  association,  he  subjoins  to  these  proofs 
of  his  own  divinity,  both  past  and  future,  a  warning  to  those 
who  were  unwilling  to  receive  them.  Strength  of  heart  implies, 
though  it  does  not  directly  signify,  stubbornness  or  obstinacy 
and  a  settled  opposition  to  the  will  of  God.  The  same  persons 
are  described  as  far  from  righteousness,  which  some  understand 
as  meaning  far  from  rectitude  or  truth,  i.  e.  deceitful,  insincere. 
But  the  only  natural  interpretation  is  the  one  which  gives  the 
words  their  obvious  and  usual  sense,  as  signifying  those  who 
are  not  righteous  before  God,  in  other  words  the  wicked,  the 
Vfords  far  from  expressing  the  degree  of  their  depravity. 

13.  I  have  brought  near  my  righteousness,  it  shall  not  be  far  off; 
a7id  my  salvation,  it  shall  not  tarry  ;  and  I  will  give  (or  place) 
in  Zion  my  salvation,  to  Israel  my  glory.  Because  righteousness 
and  salvation  frequently  occur  as  parallel  expressions,  most  of 
the  modern  German  writers  treat  them  as  synonymous,  whereas 
one  denotes  the  cause  and  the  other  the  effect,  one  relates  to 
God  and  the  other  to  man.     The  sense  in  which  salvation  can 


CHAPTER    XL  VII.  Il9 

be  referred  to  the  righteousness  of  God  is  clear  from  ch.  1  :  27. 
The  exhibition  of  God's  righteousness  consists  in  the  salvation 
of  his  people  and  the  simultaneous  destruction  of  his  enemies. 
To  these  two  classes  it  was  therefore  at  the  same  time  an  object 
of  desire  and  dread.  The  stouthearted  mentioned  in  v.  12 
were  not  prepared  for  it,  and,  unless  they  were  changed,  must 
perish  when  God's  righteousness  came  near.  The  last  words 
admit  of  two  constructions,  one  of  which  repeats  the  verb  and 
makes  it  govern  the  last  noun  (I  will  give  my  glory  unto  Israel) ; 
the  other  makes  the  clause  a  supplement  to  what  precedes,  I 
will  give  salvation  in  Zion  unto  Israel  (who  is)  my  glory.  In 
illustration  of  the  latter,  see  ch.  44  :  23.  62  ;  3.  Jer.  33  :  9.  The 
other  construction  has  more  of  the  parallel  or  balanced  form 
which  is  commonly  considered  characteristic  of  Hebrew  compo- 
sition. In  sense  they  ultimately  coincide,  since  Israel  could 
become  Jehovah's  glory  only  by  Jehovah's  glory  being  bestowed 
upon  him. 


CHAPTER   XLVII. 

Here  again  v.'e  meet  with  the  most  discordant  and  unfounded 
assumptions,  as  to  the  connection  of  this  chapter  with  the  con- 
test, and  arising  from  the  same  misapprehension  of  the  general 
design  of  the  whole  prophecy.  The  following  seems  to  be  the 
true  analysis. 

Having  exemplified  his  general  doctrine,  as  to  God's  ability 
and  purpose  to  do  justice  both  to  friends  and  foes,  by  exhibiting 
the  downfall  of  the  Babylonian  idols,  he  now  attains  the  same 
end  by  predicting  the  downfall  of  Babylon  itself  and  of  the 
state  to  which  it  gave  its  name.  Under  the  figure  of  a  royal 
virgin,  she  is  threatened  with  extreme  degradation  and  expo- 


180  CHAPTER    XLVII. 

sure,  vs.  1-3.  Connecting  the  event  with  Israel  and  Israel's 
God,  as  the  great  themes  which  it  was  intended  to  illustrate, 
V.  4,  he  predicts  the  fall  of  the  empire  more  distinctly,  v.  5.  and 
assigns  as  a  reason  the  oppression  of  God's  people,  v.  6,  pride 
and  self-confidence,  vs.  7-9,  especially  reliance  upon  human 
wisdom  and  upon  superstitious  arts,  all  which  would  prove 
entirely  insufficient  to  prevent  the  great  catastrophe,  vs.  10-15. 

1.  Comedoion!  By  a  beautiful  apostrophe,  the  mighty  power 
to  be  humbled  is  addressed  directly,  and  the  prediction  of  her 
humiliation  clothed  in  the  form  of  a  command  to  exhibit  the 
external  signs  of  it.  Sit  on  the  dust  !  This,  which  is  the  literal 
translation  of  the  Hebrew  phrase,  may  be  conformed  to  our 
idiom  either  by  substituting  in  for  on,  or  by  understanding  the 
Hebrew  noun  to  denote,  as  it  sometimes  does,  the  solid  ground. 
The  act  of  sitting  on  the  ground  is  elsewhere  mentioned  as  a  cus- 
tomary sign  of  grief  (See  ch.  3  :  26.  Lam.  2:  10.  Job  2  :  13  ) 
But  here  it  is  designed,  chiefly  if  not  exclusively,  to  suggest 
the  idea  of  dethronement,  which  is  afterwards  expressed  dis- 
tinctly. The  next  phrase  is  commonly  explained  to  mean 
virgin  daughter  of  Babel  (i.  e.  Babylon),  which,  according  to 
some,  is  a  collective  personification  of  the  inhabitants.  What- 
ever may  be  the  primary  import  of  the  phrase,  it  is  admitted 
upon  all  hands  to  be  descriptive  either  of  the  city  of  Babylon, 
or  of  the  Babylonian  state  and  nation.  Sit  to  the  earth  !  i.  e. 
close  to  it,  or  simply  on  it,  the  vague  sense  of  the  particle 
being  determined  by  the  verb  and  noun  with  which  it  stands 
connected.  To  sit  as  to  a  throne  can  only  mean  to  sit  upon 
it.  There  is  no  throne.  Some  connect  this  with  what  goes 
before,  in  this  way :  sit  on  the  earth  without  p,  throne.  But 
there  is  no  need  of  departing  from  the  idiomatic  form  of  the 
original,  in  which  these  words  are  a  complete  proposition,  which 
may  be  connected  with  what  goes  before  by  supplying  a  causal 
particle :  '  sit  on  the  earth  for  you  have  now  no  throne.'    Daugh- 


CHAPTER    XLVII.  181 

ter  of  Chasdwi!  This  last  is  the  common  Hebrew  name  for  the 
Chaldees  or  Chaldeans,  the  race  introduced  by  the  Assyrians, 
at  an  early  period,  into  Babylonia.  (See  ch.  23:  13.  Compare 
also  what  is  said  above,  on  ch.  43  :  14.)  If  taken  here  in  this 
sense,  it  may  be  understood  to  signify  the  government  or  the 
collective  members  of  this  race.  Daughter  of  Chasdim  must  of 
course  be  an  analogous  expression  to  the  parallel  phrase  daugh- 
ter of  Babel.  For  thou  shalt  not  add  (or  continue)  to  he  called^ 
would  be  the  natural  and  usual  conclusion  of  the  phrase  ;  instead 
of  which  we  have  here  they  shall  not  call  thee^  which  is  common 
enough  as  an  indefinite  expression  equivalent  to  a  passive,  and 
only  remarkable  from  its  combination  with  the  preceding  words, 
although  the  sense  of  the  whole  clause  is  quite  obvious.  Thou 
shalt  not  continue  to  be  called  (or  they  shall  no  longer  call  thee) 
tender  and  delicate,  i.  e.  they  shall  no  longer  have  occasion  so  to 
call  thee,  because  thou  shalt  no  longer  be  so.  The  same  two 
epithets  are  found  in  combination  Deut.  28  :  54,  from  which 
place  it  is  clear  that  they  are  not  so  much  descfriptive  of  volup- 
tuous and  vicious  habits  as  of  a  delicate  and  easy  mode  of  life, 
such  as  that  of  a  princess  compared  with  that  of  a  female  slave. 
The  testimonies  of  the  ancient  writers  as  to  the  prevalent  ini- 
quities of  Babylon  belong  rather  to  a  subsequent  part  of  the 
description.  All  that  is  here  meant  is  that  the  royal  virgin 
must  descend  from  the  throne  to  the  dust,  and  relinquish  the 
luxuries  and  comforts  of  her  former  mode  of  life. 

2.  Take  7mll-st07ies  and  grind  meal !  Even  among  the  Romans 
this  was  considered  one  of  the  most  servile  occupations.  In 
the  east  it  was  especially  the  work  of  female  slaves.  (Ex.  11:5. 
Matt.  24  :  41.)  Uncover  (i.  e.  lift  up  or  remove)  thy  veil! 
One  of  the  Arabian  poets  speaks  of  certain  ladies  as  appearing 
unveiled  so  that  they  resembled  slaves,  which  is  exactly  the 
idea  here  expressed.  Uncover  the  kg,  cross  streams  !  The  only 
question  as  to  this  clause  is  whether  it  refers  to  the  fording  of 


182  CHAPTER    XLVII 

rivers  by  female  captives  as  they  go  into  exile,  or  to  the  habitual 
exposure  of  the  person,  by  which  women  of  the  lowest  class  are 
especially  distinguished  in  the  east.  The  latter  explanation  is 
entitled  to  the  preference,  not  only  because  we  read  of  no  de- 
portation of  the  Babylonians  by  Cyrus,  but  because  the  other 
terms  of  the  description  are  confessedly  intended  to  contrast 
two  conditions  of  life  or  classes  of  society. 

3.  The  same  idea  of  exposure  is  now  carried  out  to  a  revolt- 
ing extreme.  Lei  thy  nakedness  be  uncovered^  likewise  let  thy  shame 
be  seen.  This  conveys  no  new  idea,  but  is  simply  the  climax  of 
the  previous  description.  I  will  take  vengeance.  The  metaphor 
is  here  exchanged  for  literal  expressions  by  so  easy  a  transition 
that  it  scarcely  attracts  notice.  The  destruction  of  Babylon  is 
frequently  set  forth  as  a  righteous  retribution  for  the  wrongs  of 
Israel.  (See  Jer.  50  :  15,  28.)  I  xoill  not  (or  I  shall  not)  meet 
a  man.  The  most  probable  sense  of  this  obscure  clause  is,  / 
shall  encounter  no  man.^  i.  e.  no  man  will  be  able  to  resist  me. 
This  simple  explanation  is  at  the  same  time  one  of  the  most 
ancient.  The  whole  clause  is  a  laconic  explanation  of  the 
figures  which  precede,  and  which  are  summed  up  in  the  simple 
but  terrific  notion  of  resistless  and  inexorable  vengeance. 

4.  Our  Redeemer  (or  as  for  our  Redeemer)^  Jehovah  of  Hosts  {is) 
his  name.,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel.  The  downfall  of  Babylon  waa 
but  a  proof  that  the  Deliverer  of  Israel  was  a  sovereign  and 
eternal  being,  and  yet  bound  to  his  own  people  in  the  strongest 
and  tenderest  covenant  relation.  Thus  understood,  the  verse 
does  not  even  interrupt  the  sense,  but  makes  it  the  clearer,  by 
recalling  to  the  reader's  mind  the  great  end  for  which  the  event 
took  place  and  for  which  it  is  here  predicted.  This  is  a  distinct 
link  in  the  chain  of  the  prophetic  argument,  by  which  the  fall 
of  Babylon  is  brought  into  connection  and  subordination  to  the 
proof  of  God's  supremacy  as  shown  in  the  protection  and  salva- 


GHAPTER   XLVII.  183 

tion  of  his  people.  That  the  Prophet  speaks  here  in  his  own 
person,  is  but  a  single  instance  of  a  general"  usage,  characteristic 
of  the  whole  composition,  in  which  God  is  spoken  of,  spoken  to, 
or  introduced  as  speaking,  in  constant  alternation  ;  yet  without 
confusion  or  the  slightest  obscuration  of  the  general  meaning. 

5.  Sit  silent  (or  in  silence),  and  go  into  darkness  (or  a  dark 
place),  daughter  of  Chasdim  !  The  allusion  is  to  natural  and 
usual  expressions  of  sorrow  and  despondency.  (See  Lam.  2 : 
10.  3:2.  28.)  For  thou  shalt  not  continue  to  be  called  (or  they 
shall  not  continue  to  call  thee)  mistress  of  kingdoms.  This  is  an 
allusion  to  the  Babylonian  empire,  as  distinguished  from  Baby- 
lonia proper,  and  including  many  tributary  states,  which  Xeno- 
phon  enumerates.  In  like  manner  the  Assyrian  king  is  made 
to  ask  (ch.  10:8),  Are  not  my  princes  altogether  kings'? 

6.  I  was  wroth  agai7ist  my  people  ;  I  profaned  my  heritage,  i.  e, 
I  suffered  my  chosen  and  consecrated  people^  to  be  treated  as 
something  common  and  unclean.  In  the  same  sense  God  is 
said  before  (ch.  43  :  28)  to  have  profaned,  the  holy  princes.  Israel 
is  called  Jehovah's  heritage,  as  being  his  perpetual  possession, 
continued  from  one  generation  to  another.  This  general  import 
of  the  figure  is  obvious  enough,  although  there  is  an  essential 
difference  between  this  case  and  that  of  literal  inheritance, 
because  in  the  latter  the  change  and  succession  affect  the  pro- 
prietor, whereas  in  the  former  they  affect  the  thing  possessed, 
and  the  possessor  is  unchangeable.  A7id  I  gave  them  into  thy 
hand,  as  my  instruments  of  chastisement.  Thou  didst  not  show 
them  ncrcy.j  literally  place  (give  or  appoint)  it  to  them.  God's 
providential  purpose  was  not  even  known  to  his  instruments, 
and  could  not  therefore  be  the  rule  of  their  conduct  or  the 
measure  of  their  responsibility.  Though  unconsciously  promot- 
ing his  designs,  their  own  ends  and  motives  were  entirely  cor- 
rupt.    In  the  precisely  analogous  case  of  the  Assyrian,  it  is 


184  CHAPTER   XLVII. 

said  (ch.  10  :  7),  he  will  not  think  so,  and  his  heart  not  so  ivill 
purpose,  because  to  destroy  {is)  in  his  heart  and  to  cut  off  nations 
not  a  few.  The  general  charge  is  strengthened  by  a  specific 
aggravation.  On  the  aged  thou  didst  aggravate  thy  yoke  (or  make 
it  heavy)  exceedingly.  Some  understand  this  of  the  whole  people, 
whom  they  suppose  to  be  described  as  old,  i.  e.  as  having  reached 
the  period  of  national  decrepitude.  Others  prefer  the  strict 
sense  of  the  words,  viz.  that  they  were  cruelly  oppressive  even 
to  the  aged  captives,  under  which  they  include  elders  in  office 
and  in  rank  as  well  as  in  age.  This  particular  form  of  inhu- 
manity is  charged  upon  the  Babylonians  by  Jeremiah  twice 
(Lam.  4  ;  16.  5  :  12),  and  in  both  cases  he  connects  the  word 
with  a  parallel  term  denoting  rank  or  office,  viz.  priests  and 
princes.  The  essential  meaning  of  the  clause,  as  a  description 
of  inordinate  severity  to  those  least  capable  of  retaliation  or 
resistance,  still  remains  the  same  in  either  case. 

7.  And  thou  saidst.  Forever  I  shall  he  a  mistress,  i.  e.  a  mistress 
of  kingdoms,  the  complete  phrase  which  occurs  above  in  v.  5. 
The  conjunction  has  its  proper  sense  of  until,  as  in  Job  14:6. 
1  Sam.  20  ;  41  ;  and  the  meaning  of  the  clause  is,  that  she  had 
persisted  in  this  evil  course  until  at  last  it  had  its  natural  effect 
of  blinding  the  mind  and  hardening  the  heart.  Thou  saidst.  For- 
ever I  shall  be  a  mistress,  till  (at  last)  thou  didst  not  lay  these 
{things)  to  thy  heart.  The  idea  of  causal  dependence  {so  that)  is 
implied  but  not  expressed.  Laying  to  heart,  including  an  exer- 
cise of  intellect  and  feeling,  occurs,  with  slight  variations  as  to 
form,  in  ch.  42  :  25.  44  :  19.  46  :  8.  Thou  didst  not  remember  the 
e7id  (or  latter  part,  or  issue)  of  it,  i.  e.  of  the  course  pursued. 
The  apparent  solecism  of  remembering  the  future  may  be  solved 
by  observing  that  the  thing  forgotten  was  the  knowledge  of  the 
future  once  possessed,  just  as  in  common  parlance  we  use  hope 
in  reference  to  the  past,  because  we  hope  to  find  it  so,  or  hope 


CHAPTER   XLVII.  185 

that  sometliing  questionable  now  will  prove  hereafter  to  be  thus 
or  thus. 

8.  And  now,  a  common  form  of  logical  resumption  and  con- 
clusion, very  nearly  corresponding  to  our  phrases,  this  being  so, 
or,  such  being  the  case.  Hear  this,  i.  e.  what  I  have  just  said, 
or  am  just  about  to  say,  or  both.  Oh  voluptuous  07ie!  The 
common  version,  tkou  that  art  given  to  pleasures,  is  substantially 
correct,  but  in  form  too  paraphrastical.  The  translation  deli- 
cate, which  some  give,  is  inadequate,  at  least  upon  the  common 
supposition  that  this  term  is  not  intended,  like  the  kindred 
ones  in  v.  1,  to  contrast  the  two  conditions  of  prosperity  and 
downfall,  but  to  bring  against  the  Babylonians  the  specific 
charge  of  gross  licentiousness.  This  corruption  of  morals,  as 
in  other  like  cases,  is  supposed  to  have  been  aggravated  by  the 
wealth  of  Babylon,  its  teeming  population,  and  the  vast  con- 
course of  foreign  visitors  and  residents.  After  all,  however,  as^ 
this  charge  is  not  repeated  or  insisted  on,  it  'may  be  doubted 
whether  the  epithet  in  question  was  intended  to  express  more 
than  the  fact  of  her  abundant  prosperity  about  to  be  exchanged 
for  desolation  and  disgrace.  The  [one)  sitting  i?i  security/.  The 
common  version,  dwellest,  is  much  too  vague.  Sitting  seems 
rather  to  be  mentioned  as  a  posture  of  security  and  ease.  The 
{one)  saying  in  her  heart  (or  to  herself),  /  [am)  and  none  besides, 
i.  e.  none  like  or  equal  to  me.  I  shall  not  sit  (as)  a  widow.  The 
figure  of  a  virgin  is  now  exchanged  for  that  of  a  wife,  a  strong 
proof  that  the  sign  was,  in  the  writer's  view,  of  less  importance 
than  the  thing  signified.  The  same  comparison  is  used  by 
Jeremiah  of  Jerusalem  (Lam.  1:1.  Compare  Is.  51  :  18-20. 
54  :  1,4,  5).  Many  interpreters  understand  widowhood  as  a 
specific  figure  for  the  loss  of  a  king ;  but  others  apply  the 
whole  clause  to  the  loss  of  allies,  or  of  all  friendly  intercourse 
with  foreign  nations.  And  I  shall  not  know  (by  experience)  the 
loss  of  children.     This  paraphrastical  expression  is  the  nearest 


186  CHAPTER    XL  VII. 

approach  that  we  can  make  in  English  to  the  pregnant  He- 
brew word.  Bereavement  and  childlessness  may  seem  at  first 
sight  more  exact,  but  the  first  is  not  exclusively  appropriate  to 
the  loss  of  children,  and  the  last  does  not  suggest  the  idea  of 
loss  at  all. 

9.  And  they  shall  come  to  thee.  The  form  of  expression  seems 
to  have  some  reference  to  the  phrase  /  shall  not  know  in  the 
preceding  verse.  As  if  he  had  said,  they  shall  no  longer  be 
unknown  or  at  a  distance,  they  shall  come  near  to  thee.  These 
two.,  or  both  these  [things)  from  which  she  thought  herself  secure 
forever.  Suddenly.  The  Hebrew  word  is  a  noun,  and  origin- 
ally means  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  and  then  a  moment,  but  is 
often  used  adverbially  in  the  sense  of  suddenly.  Tliat  it  has 
the  derivative  sense  here,  may  be  inferred  from  the  addition  of 
the  words  in  one  day.^  which  would  be  a  striking  anticlimax  if  it 
strictly  meant  a  moment  or  the  twinkling  of  an  eye.  Loss  of 
children  and  widowhood.,  as  in  the  verse  preceding,  are  explained 
by  most  interpreters  as  figures  for  the  loss  of  king  and  people. 
In  their  ferfcction.,  literally,  according  to  it,  i.  e.  in  the  fullest 
measure  possible,  implying  total  loss  and  destitution.  They 
have  come  upon  thee.  The  English  Version  makes  it  future  like 
the  verb  in  the  preceding  clause  ;  but  this  is  wholly  arbitrary. 
According  to  the  principle  already  stated  and  exemplified  so 
often,  it  is  best  to  give  the  word  its  proper  meaning,  and  to 
understand  it  not  as  a  mere  repetition  of  what  goes  before,  but 
as  an  addition  to  it,  or  at  least  a  variation  in  the  mode  of  exhi- 
bition. What  he  at  first  saw  coming,  he  now  sees  actually 
come,  and  describes  it  accordingly.  In  the  multitude  of  thy  en- 
chantmentSj  in  the  abundance  of  thy  spells  (or  charms).  The  par- 
allel terms,  though  applied  to  the  same  objects,  are  of  different 
origin,  the  first  denoting  primarily  prayers  or  acts  of  worship, 
and  then  superstitious  rites  ;  the  other  specifically  meaning 
bans  or  spells  (from  a  word  signifying  to  bind),  with  reference, 


CHAPTER   XLVIL  187 

as  some  suppose,  to  the  outward  act  of  tying  magical  knots,  but 
as  the  older  writers  think,  to  the  restraining  or  constraining 
influence  supposed  to  be  exerted  on  the  victim  or  even  on  the 
gods  themselves.  The  prevalence  of  these  arts  in  ancient  Baby- 
lon is  explicitly  affirmed  by  Diodorus  Siculus,  and  assumed  as 
a  notorious  fact  by  other  ancient  writers. 

10.  And  [yet)  thou  art  [ox  least)  secure  in  thy  wickedness.  There 
is  no  sufficient  reason  for  departing  from  the  wide  sense  of  the 
last  word  as  descriptive  of  the  whole  congeries  of  crimes  with 
which  the  Babylonians  were  chargeable.  But  neither  in  the 
wide  nor  the  restricted  sense  could  their  wickedness  itself  be 
an  object  of  trust.  It  is  better,  therefore,  to  give  the  verb  the 
absolute  meaning  which  it  frequently  has  elsewhere,  and  to 
explain  the  whole  phrase  as  denoting  that  they  went  on  in  their 
wickedness  without  a  fear  of  change  or  punishment.  The  idea 
of  security  in  wickedness  agrees  precisely  with  what  follows-. 
Thou  hast  said.,  there  is  no  one  seeing  me^  a  fortn  of  speech  fre- 
quently ascribed  to  presumptuous  sinners  and  unbelievers  in 
the  doctrine  of  providential  retribution.  (See  Ps.  10  :  11.  94  : 
7.  Ezek.  8  :  12.  9  :  9.  Job  22  :  14.)  This,  on  the  other  hand,  is 
not  a  natural  expression  of  specific  trust  in  any  form  of  wicked- 
ness. He  who  relies  upon  his  power  or  his  cunning  as  a  com- 
plete protection  will  be  not  so  apt  to  say  "None  seeth  me"  as 
to  feel  indiflfereut  whether  he  is  seen  or  not.  Thy  wisdo7n  and 
thy  knowledge,  it  has  seduced  thee.  The  insertion  of  the  pronoun 
it  admits  of  a  twofold  explanation.  It  may  mean,  thy  very  tvis- 
do?n,  upon  which  thou  hast  so  long  relied  for  guidance,  has  itself 
misled  thee.  But  at  the  same  time  it  may  serve  to  show  that 
wisdom  and  knowledge  are  not  here  to  be  distinguished  but 
considered  as  identical.  He  does  not  say  they  have,  but  it  has, 
seduced  thee.  By  wisdom  and  knowledge  some  understand 
astronomy  and  astrology,  others  political  sagacity  and  diplo- 
matic skill,  for  which  it  is  inferred  that  the  Babylonians  were 


188  CHAPTER   XLVIL 

distinguished,  from  the  places  where  their  wise  men  are  par- 
ticularly mentioned.  (See  for  example  Jer.  50  :  35.  51  :  57.) 
But  in  these  descriptions  of  the  Babylonian  empire,  and 
the  analogous  accounts  of  Tyre  (Ezek.  28  :  4)  and  Egypt 
(Is.  19  :  II),  the  reference  seems  not  so  much  to  anything 
peculiar  to  the  state  in  question,  as  to  that  political  wisdom 
which  is  presupposed  in  the  very  existence,  much  more  in 
the  prosperity,  of  every  great  empire.  The  remainder  of  the 
verse  describes  the  effect  of  this  perversion  or  seduction  in  the 
same  terms  that  had  been  employed  above  in  v.  8,  and  which 
occur  elsewhere  only  in  Zeph.  2;  15,  which  appears  to  be  an 
imitation  of  the  place  before  us.  Atid  thou  saidst  (or  hast  said) 
i)i  thy  heart.  The  indirect  construction,  so  that  thou  hast  said, 
contains  more  than  is  expressed,  but  not  more  than  is  im- 
plied, in  the  original.  I  am  and  there  is  no  other.  I  am  what 
no  one  else  is ;  there  is  no  one  like  me,  much  less  equal  to 
me.  (See  above,  on  v.  8.)  This  arrogant  presumption  is 
ascribed  to  their  wisdom  and  knowledge,  not  as  its  legitimate 
effect,  but  as  a  necessary  consequence  of  its  perversion  and 
abuse,  as  well  as  of  men's  native  disposition  to  exaggerate 
the  force  and  authority  of  unassisted  reason.  (Compare 
ch.  5:21.) 

11.  And  (so)  there  Cometh  (or  has  come)  upon  thee  evil ;  with 
an  evident  allusion  to  the  use  of  wickedness  in  the  verse  pre- 
ceding, so  as  to  suggest  an  antithesis  between  natural  and  moral 
evil,  sin  and  suffering,  evil  done  and  evil  experienced.  The 
common  version  [therefore  shall  evil  come)  is  not  strictly  accurate. 
Most  of  the  modern  writers  make  it  present ;  but  the  strict 
sense  of  the  preterite  is  perfectly  consistent  with  the  context 
and  the  usage  of  the  Prophet,  who  continually  depicts  occur- 
rences still  future,  first  as  coming,  then  as  come,  not  in  fact  but 
in  vision,  both  as  certain  to  occur  and  as  historically  represented 
to  his  own  mind.     Ajid  there  shall  fall  upon  thee  (a  still  stronger 


CHAPTER    XLVII.  189 

expression  than  the  one  before  it,  there  shall  come  ujjon  thee) 
ruin.  According  to  the  modern  lexicographers  the  noun  itself 
means  fall.,  but  in  its  figurative  application  to  destruction  or 
calamity.  It  occurs  only  here  and  in  Ezek.  7  :  26.  Thou,  shalt 
not  be  able  to  avert  it.,  or  resolving  the  detached  Hebrew  clauses 
into  one  English  period,  ivhich  thou  shalt  not  be  able  to  avert. 
The  exact  meaning  of  the  last  word  is  atone  for,  expiate,  and 
in  this  connection,  to  avert  by  expiation,  whether  in  the  strict 
sense  of  atoning  sacrifice  or  in  the  wider  one  of  satisfaction 
and  propitiation.  If  we  assume  a  personification  of  the  einl, 
the  verb  may  mean  to  appease.,  as  in  Gen.  32  :  20.  Prov.  16 :  14. 
In  any  case,  the  clause  describes  the  threatened  judgment  as 
•  inexorable  and  inevitable.  And  there  shall  come  upon  thee  sud- 
denly a  crash.,  or  as  it  has  been  rendered,  a  crashing  fall.,  a 
common  metaphor  for  sudden  ruin,  [which)  thou  shall  not 
know.^  This  may  either  mean,  of  which  thou  shalt  have  no 
previous  experience.,  or  of  which  thou  shalt  have  no  previous  ex-^ 
pectatioH.  The  former  meaning  is  the  one  m'ost  readily  sug- 
gested by  the  words.  The  latter  may  be  justified  by  the  an- 
alogy of  Job  9  :  5,  who  rcmoveth  the  mountains  and  they  know 
not.,  Avhich  can  only  mean  that  he  removes  them  suddenly  or 
unawares. 

12.  Stand  now !  The  word  here  rendered  noio  is  not  a 
particle  of  time  but  of  entreaty,  very  often  corresponding  to  I 
pray,  or  if  you  please.  In  this  case  it  indicates  a  kind  of  con- 
cession to  the  people,  if  they  still  choose  to  try  the  virtue  of 
their  superstitious  arts  which  he  had  already  denounced  as 
worthless.  Stand  now  in  thy  spells  (or  charms).  Some  suppose 
an  allusion  to  the  customary  standing  posture  of  astrologers, 
conjurers,  etc.  Others  understand  the  verb  to  mean  stand  fast, 
be  firm  and  courageous.  But  the  modern  writers  generally 
understand  it  to  mean  persist  or  persevere,  which  of  course  re- 
quires the  preposition  to  be  taken  in  its  usual  proper  sense  of 


190  CHAPTER  XLVII. 

in.  Persist  now  in  thy  spells  arid  in  the  abundance  of  thy  charms.^ 
the  same  nouns  that  are  joined  above  in  v.  9.  In  which  thou 
hast  laboured.  Frovi  thy  youth,  may  either  mean  of  old.,  or  more 
specifically,  since  the  earliest  period  of  thy  national  existence. 
The  antiquity  of  occult  arts,  and  above  all  of  astrology,  in  Baby- 
lon, is  attested  by  various  profane  writers.  Diodorus  Siculus 
indeed  derives  them  fi-om  Egypt,  and  describes  the  Chaldecs  or 
astrologers  of  Babylon  as  Egyptian  colonists.  But  as  this  last 
is  certainly  erroneous  (see  above  on  v.  1),  the  other  assertion 
can  have  no  authority.  The  Babylonians  are  reported  by  the 
same  and  other  writers  to  have  carried  back  their  own  antiquity, 
as  proved  by  recorded  scientific  observations,  to  an  extravagant 
and  foolish  length,  to  which  some  think  there  is  allusion  here 
in  the  expression  from  thy  youth.  Perhaps  thou  wilt  be  able  to 
sucreedj  or  help  thyself  the  verb  commonly  translated  profit.  (See 
above,  ch.  44:  10.)  This  faint  suggestion  of  a  possibiiity  is 
more  expressive  than  a  positive  denial. 

13.  Thou  art  wearied  in  the  multitude  of  thy  counsel.,  not  merely 
weary  of  it,  but  exhausted  by  it,  and  in  the  very  act  of  using  it. 
By  counsel  we  are  to  understand  all  the  devices  of  the  govern- 
ment for  self-defence.  Let  now  (or  pray  let)  thevi  stand  and  save 
thee.  We  may  take  stand  either  in  the  same  sense  which  it  has 
above  in  v.  12,  or  in  that  of  appearing,  coming  forward,  present- 
ing themselves.  The  subject  of  the  verbs  is  then  defined.  Tlie 
dividers  of  the  heavens.,  i.  e.  the  astrologers,  so  called  because 
they  divided  the  heavens  into  houses  with  a  view  to  their  prog- 
nostications. The  same  class  of  persons  is  then  spoken  of  as 
star-gazers.,  an  English  phrase  which  well  expresses  the  peculiar 
force  of  the  Hebrew  word  followed  by  the  preposition.  Some 
however  give  the  former  word  its  frequent  sense  of  seers  or 
prophets,  and  regard  what  follows  as  a  limiting  or  qualifying 
term,  the  whole  corresponding  to  the  English  phrase  star-prophets 
i.  e,  such  as  prophesy  by  means  of  the  stars.     The  next  phrase 


CHAPTER    XLVI I.  191 

does  not  mean  making  known  the  new  moons^  for  these  returned 
at  stated  intervals  and  needed  no  prognosticator  to  reveal  them. 
The  sense  is  either  at  the  new  moons^  or  by  means  of  the  new  moons, 
i.  e.  the  changes  of  the  moon,  of  vrhich  the  former  is  the  sim- 
pler explanation.  Interpreters  are  much  divided  as  to  the  way 
in  which  the  remaining  words  of  this  verse  are  to  be  connected 
with  what  goes  before. 

14.  Behold  they  are  like  stubble,  fire  has  burned  them  (the  Baby- 
lonian astrologers).  Behold  brings  their  destruction  into  view 
as  something  present.  He  not  only  prophesies  that  they  shall 
be  burnt,  but  sees  them  burning.  The  comparison  with  stub- 
ble seems  intended  to  suggest  that  they  are  worthless  and 
combustible,  whose  end  is  to  be  burned.  (Heb.  6  :  8.)  At  the 
same  time  a  contrast  is  designed  between  the  burning  of  stub- 
ble and  the  burning  of  wood,  the  former  being  more  complete 
and  rapid  than  the  latter.  T/iey  cannot  deliver  themselves  from'' 
the  hand  (i.  e.  the  power)  of  the  fiame.  The  last  clause  contains 
a  negative  description  of  the  fire  mentioned  in  the  first.  Of 
this  description  there  are  two  interpretations.  Some  under- 
stand it  to  mean  that  the  destruction  of  the  fuel  will  be  so 
complete  that  nothing  will  be  left  at  which  a  man  can  sit  and 
warm  himself  Others  explain  it  to  mean,  {this fire)  is  not  a 
coal  (at  which)  to  ^carm  one^s  self  afire  to  sit  before,  but  a  devour- 
ing and  consuming  conflagration.  With  either  of  these  expo- 
sitions of  the  whole  clause  may  be  reconciled  a  different  inter- 
pretation of  the  word  Q^nb^  proposed  by  some  writers,  who  give 
the  word  the  sense  which  it  invariably  has  in  every  other  place 
where  it  occurs,  viz.  their  bread.  (See  Job  30  :  4.  Prov.  30  :  25. 
Ezek.  4:  13.  12:  19.  Hos.  9:4.)  The  whole  expression  then 
means  that  it  is  not  a  common  fire  for  baking  bread,  or,  on  the 
other  supposition,  that  there  are  not  coals  enough  left  for  that 
purpose.  The  phrase  coal  of  their  bread  presents  a  harsh  and 
unusual  combination,  rendered  less  so  however  by  the  use  of 


192  CHAPTER  XLVII. 

both  words  in  ch.  44  ;  19.  The  general  sense  of  sudden,  rapid, 
and  complete  destruction,  is  not  affected  by  these  minor  ques- 
tions of  grammatical  analysis. 

15.  Thus  are  they  to  thee^  i.  e.  such  is  their  fate,  you  see  what 
has  become  of  them.  The  words  to  thee  suggest  the  additional 
idea  that  the  person  addressed  was  interested  in  them  and  a 
witness  of  their  ruin.  With  respect  to  whom  thou  hast  laboured. 
This  may  either  mean  loith  whom  or  for  whom  ;  or  both  may  be 
included  in  the  general  idea  that  these  had  been  the  object  and 
occasion  of  her  labours.  Thy  dealers  (or  traders)  from  thy 
youth.  This  is  commonly  regarded  as  explanatory  of  the  fore- 
going clause.  Thus  the  English  Version,  they  with  lohom  thou 
hast  laboured.^  even  thy  merchants  etc.  It  then  becomes  a  ques- 
tion whether  these  are  called  traders  in  the  litei'al  and  ordinary 
sense,  or  at  least  in  that  of  national  allies  and  negotiators  ;  or 
whether  the  epithet  is  given  in  contempt  to  the  astrologers  and 
wise  men  of  the  foregoing  context,  as  trafficking  or  dealing  in 
imposture.  According  to  another  arrangement  we  are  not  to 
read  and  so  are  thy  dealers,  or  even  thy  dealers,  but  thy  dealers 
from  thy  youth  wander  each  his  own  way.  We  have  then  two 
classes  introduced,  and  two  distinct  events  predicted.  As  if 
he  had  said,  thy  astrologers  etc.  are  utterly  destroyed,  and  as 
for  thy  dealers,  they  wander  home  etc.  widely  different  in  fate, 
but  both  alike  in  this,  that  they  leave  thee  defenceless  in  the 
hour  of  extremity.  Thy  traders  may  then  be  taken  either  in 
its  strict  sense  as  denoting  foreign  merchants,  or  in  its  wider 
sense  as  comprehending  all,  whether  states  or  individuals,  with 
whom  she  had  intercourse,  commercial  or  political.  Each  to 
his  own  quarter,  side,  direction,  substantially  synonymous  with 
the  expression  in  Ezek.  1:9,  12,  and  other  phrases  all  mean- 
ing straight  before  him,  without  turning  to  the  right  hand  or 
the  left,  they  watidcr  (or  have  wandered),  a  term  implying  not 
only  flight  but  confusion.     There  is  no  one  helping  thee,  or  still 


CHAPTER  XLVIIL  193 

more  strongly,  saving  thee,  thou  hast  no  saviour,  with  particular 
reference' -to  those  just  mentioned,  who,  instead  of  thinking 
upon  her  or  bringing  her  assistance,  would  be  wholly  engrossed 
by  a  sense  of  their  own  danger  and  the  effort  to  escape  it. 


CHAPTER    XLVIII. 

From  his  digression  with  respect  to  the  causes  and  effects 
of  the  catastrophe  of  Babylon,  the  Prophet  now  returns  to  his 
more  general  themes,  and  winds  up  the  first  great  division  of 
the  Later  Prophecies  by  a  reiteration  of  the  same  truths  and 
arguments  which  run  through  the  previous  portion  of  it,  with 
some  variations  and  additions  which  will  be  noticed  in  the 
proper  place.  The  disproportionate  prominence  given  to  the 
Babylonish  exile  and  the  liberation  from  it,  iu/'inost  modern 
espositions  of  the  passage,  has  produced  the  same  confusion 
and  the  same  necessity  of  assuming  arbitrary  combinations  and. 
transitions,  as  in  other  cases  which  have  been  already  stated. 
This  is  less  surprising  in  the  present  case,  however  ;  because  the 
Prophet,  in  the  close  as  in  the  opening  of  this  first  book,  does 
accommodate  his  language  to  the  feelings  and  condition  of 
the  Jews  in  exile,  though  the  truths  which  he  inculcates  are 
still  of  a  general  and  comprehensive  nature. 

Although  Israel  is  God's  chosen  and  peculiar  people,  he  is 
in  himself  unworthy  of  the  honour  and  unfaithful  to  the  trust, 
vs.  1,  2,  Former  predictions  had  been  uttered  expressly  to 
prevent  his  ascribing  the  event  to  other  gods,  vs  3-5.  For 
the  same  reason  new  predictions  will  be  uttered  now,  of  events 
which  have  never  been  distinctly  foretold,  vs.  6-8.  God's  con- 
tinued favour  to  his  people  has  no  reference  to  merit  upon 
their  part,  but  is  the  fruit  of  his  own  sovereign  mercy  and  in- 

VOL.  II. — 9 


194  CHAPTER    XLVIII. 

tended  to  promote  his  own  designs,  vs.  9-11.  He  again  asserts 
his  own  exclusive  deity,  as  proved  by  the  creation  of  the  world, 
by  the  prediction  of  events  still  future,  and  especially  by  the 
raising  up  of  Cyrus,  as  a  promised  instrument  to  execute  his 
purpose,  vs.  12-16.  The  sufferings  of  Israel  are  the  fruit  of 
his  own  sin,  his  prosperity  and  glory  that  of  Grod's  sovereign 
grace,  vs.  17-19.  The^jiook  closes  as  it  opened  with  a  promise 
of  deliverance  from  exile,  accompanied,  in  this  case,  by  a  solemn 
limitation  of  the  promise  to  its  proper  objects,  vs.  20-22. 

It  is  evident  that  these  are  the  same  elements  which  enter 
into  all  the  Later  Prophecies,  so  far  as  we  have  yet  examined 
them,  and  that  these  elements  are  here  combined  in  very 
much  the  usual  proportions,  although  not  in  precisely  the  same 
shape  and  order.  The  most  novel  feature  of  this  chapter 
is  the  fulness  with  which  one  principal  design  of  prophecy,  and 
the  connection  between  Israel's  sufferings  and  his  sins,  are 
stated. 

1.  Hear  this,  not  exclusively  what  follows  or  what  goes  be- 
fore, but  this  whole  series  of  arguments  and  exhortations. 
This  is  a  formula  by  which  Isaiah  frequently  resumes  and  con- 
tinues his  discourse.  Oh  house  of  Jacob,  the  [men)  called  by  the 
name  of  Israel,  a  periphrasis  for  Israelites  or  members  of  the 
ancient  church.  And  from  tJie  waters  of  Judah  tliey  have  come 
out.  By  an  easy  transition,  of  perpetual  occurrence  in  Isaiah, 
the  construction  is  continued  in  the  third  person  ;  as  if  the 
Prophet,  after  addressing  them  directly,  had  proceeded  to  de- 
scribe them  to  the  by-standers.  The  people,  by  a  natural 
figure,  are  described  as  streams  from  the  fountain  of  Judah. 
(Compare  ch.  51  :  1  and  Ps.  6S  :  27.)  Some  German  writers 
fasten  on  this  mention  of  Judah  as  a  national  progenitor,  as 
betraying  a  later  date  of  composition  than  the  days  of  Isaiah. 
But  this  kind  of  reasoning  proceeds  upon  the  shallow  and 
erroneous  supposition  that  the  application  of  this  name  to  the 


CHAPTEll    XLVIII.  195 

whole  people  was  the  result  of  accidental  causes  at  a  compara- 
tively recent  period,  whereas  it  forms  part  of  a  change  designed 
from  the  beginning,  and  developed  by  a  gradual  process, 
through  the  whole  course  of  their  history.  Even  in  patri- 
archal times  the  pre-eminence  of  Judah  was  determined. 
From  him  the  Messiah  was  expected  to  descend  (Gen.  49  :  10). 
To^  hira  the  first  rank  was  assigned  in  the  exodus,  the  journey 
through  the  desert,  and  the  occupation  of  the  promised  land. 
In  his  line  the  royal  power  was  first  permanently  established. 
To  him,  though  deserted  by  five  sixths  of  the  tribes,  the  hon- 
ours and  privileges  of  the  theoci'acy  were  still  continued ;  so 
that  long  before  the  Babylonish  exile  or  the  downfall  of  the 
kingdom  of  the  ten  tribes,  the  names  of  Israel  and  Judah 
were  convertible,  not  as  political  distinctions,  but  as  designa- 
tions of  the  chosen  people,  the  theocracy,  the  ancient  church. 
In  this  sense,  Israelite  and  Jew  were  as  really  synonymous 
when  Isaiah  wrote,  as  they  are  now  in  common  parlance. 
Those  swearing  by  the  name  of  Jehovah^  i.  e.  swearing  by  him  as 
their  God,  and  thereby  not  only  acknowledging  his  deity,  but 
solemnly  avouching  their  relation  to  hiin.  (See  above,  on 
ch.  45  :  23.)  And  of  the  God  of  Isral  make  iwntian.  not  in 
conversation  merely,  but  as  a  religious  act,  implying  public 
recognition  of  his  being  and  authority,  in  which  sense  the 
same  Hebrew  phrase  with  unimportant  variations  in  its  form 
is  frequently  used  elsewhere.  (For  examples  of  the  very  form 
which  here  occurs,  see  Josh.  23  :  7.  Ps.  20  :  8.  45  :  18.)  Not 
in  truth  and  not  in  righteousness,  uprightness,  sincerity.  It  is 
not  necessary  to  infer  from  these  words,  that  the  Prophet's 
language  is  addressed  to  a  distinct  class  of  the  Jews,  or  to  the 
Jews  of  any  one  exclusive  period,  his  own,  or  that  of  the  cap- 
tivity, or  that  of  Christ.  The  clause  is  an  indirect  reitera- 
tion of  the  doctrine  so  continually  taught  throughout  these 
prophecies,  and  afterwards  repeated  in  this  very  chapter,  that 
God's  choice  of  Israel  and  preservation  of  him  was  no  proof 


196  CHAPTER    XLVIII. 

of  merit  upon  his  part,  nor  even  an  act  of  mere  compassion 
upon  God's  part,  but  the  necessary  means  to  an  appointed  end. 
The  reference  therefore  here  is  not  so  much  to  individual 
hypocrisy  or  unbelief,  as  to  the  general  defect  of  worthiness 
or  merit  in  the  body.  They  were  really  called  by  the  name 
of  Israel,  and  that  not  only  by  themselves  and  one  another, 
but  by  God.  Both  parts  are  equally  essential,  the  description 
of  the  Jews  as  the  chosen  people  of  Jehovah,  and  the  denial 
of  their  merit ;  for  the  error  into  which  they  were  continually 
falling  was  the  error  of  sacrificing  one  of  these  great  doc- 
trines to  the  other,  or  imagining  that  they  were  incompatible. 
It  was  necessary  to  the  Prophet's  purpose  that  the  people 
should  never  forget  either,  but  believe  them  both. 

2.  For  from  the  Holy  City  thry  are  called.  The  same  name 
is  given  to  Jerusalem  below  (ch.  51  :  I),  and  also  in  the  later 
books  (Dan.  9  :  24.  Neh.  12  :  1)  and  the  New  Testament 
(Matth.  4:5.  27 :  53).  It  is  so  called  as  the  seat  of  the  true 
religion,  the  earthly  residence  of  God,  and  the  centre  of  the 
church.  That  the  reference  is  not  to  mere  locality  is  plain 
from  the  application  of  the  name  to  the  whole  people.  The 
particle  at  the  beginning  of  this  verse  has  somewhat  perplexed 
interpreters.  The  safest  because  the  simplest  course  is  to  take 
it  in  its  ordinary  sense  of  /or,  because,  and  to  regard  it  as  con- 
tinuing the  previous  description,  or  rather  as  resuming  it  after 
a  momentary  interruption,  for  which  reason /c^r  is  used  instead 
of  and.  The  connection  may  be  thus  rendered  clear  by  a 
paraphrase:  'I  speak  to  those  who  bear  the  name  of  Israel 
and  worship  Israel's  God,  however  insincerely  and  imperfectly  ; 
for  they  are  still  the  chosen  people,  and  as  such  entitled  to 
rely  upon  Jehovah.'  This  last  is  then  descriptive  not  of  a 
mere  professed  nor  of  a  real  yet  presumptuous  reliance,  but  of 
the  prerogative  of  Israel  considered  as  the  church  or  chosen 
people,  a  prerogative  not  forfeited  by  their  unfaithfulness,  so 


CHAPTER    XLVII I.  197 

long  as  its  continuance  was  necessary  to  tlie  end  for  which  it 
was  originally  granted.  The  false  interpretations  of  the  pas- 
sage have  arisen  from  applying  it  dii-ectly  to  the  faith  or  un- 
belief of  individuals,  in  which  case  there  appears  to  be  an  in- 
congruity between  the  parts  of  the  description ;  but  as  soon  as 
we  apply  it  to  the  body,  this  apparent  incongruity  is  done 
away,  it  being  not  only  consistent  with  Isaiah's  purpose,  but  a 
necessary  part  of  it,  to  Jiold  up  the  prerogatives  of  Israel  as 
wholly  independent  of  all  merit  upon  their  part.  Jehovah  of 
Hosts  {is)  his  name.  These  words  are  added  to  identify  the 
object  of  reliance  more  completely,  as  the  being  who  was  called 
the  God  of  Israel  and  Jehovah  of  Hosts.  At  the  same  time 
they  suggest  the  attributes  implied  in  both  parts  of  the  name. 
As  if  he  had  said,  they  rely  upon  the  God  of  Israel,  whom 
they  acknowledge  as  an  independent  and  eternal  Being,  and 
the  Sovereign  of  the  universe. 

3.  The  first  {ox  former  things)  since  then  I  have  declared.  That 
is,  I  prophesied  of  old  the  events  which  have  already  taken 
place.  For  the  sense  of  the  particular  expressions,  see  above 
on  ch  45  :  21.  46  :  10.  There  is  no  abrupt  transition  here,  as 
some  interpreters  assume.  This  verse  asserts  God's  prescience, 
not  absolutely  as  in  other  cases,  but  for  the  purpose  of  explain- 
ing why  he  had  so  carefully  predicted  certain  future  events. 
It  can  be  fully  understood,  therefore,  only  in  connection  with 
what  goes  before  and  follows.  And  out  of  my  mouth  they  went 
forth.  Some  regard  this  as  a  proof  that  former  <Aw?^s  means 
former  prophecies  and  not  events ;  but  even  the  latter  might 
be  figuratively  said  to  have  gone  out  of  his  mouth,  as  having 
been  predicted  by  him.  And  I  cause  them  to  be  heard,  a 
synonymous  expression.  Suddenly  I  do  {them)  and  they  come  to 
pass.  All  this  is  introductory  to  what  follows  respecting  the 
design  of  prophecy.     The  sense  is  not  simply,  I  foretell  things 


198  CHAPTER  XLVIIL 

to  come,  but  I  foretell  things  to  come  for  a  particular  purpose, 
which  is  now  to  be  explained. 

4.  From  my  knowing.  This  may  either  mean  fiecawst' J  ^?ic2^) 
or  since  I  knew.,  or  the  last  may  be  included  in  the  first,  as  in 
ch.  43  :  4.  That  thou  art  hard.  This  is  commonly  considered 
an  ellipsis  for  hard-hearted  or  stiff-necked  ;  more  probably  the 
latter,  as  the  sense  required  by  the  context  is  not  so  much  that 
of  insensibility  as  that  of  obstinate  perverseness.  The  same 
idea  is  expressed  still  more  strongly  by  the  following  words, 
and  an  iron  shieio  (is)  thy  7ieck  ;  and  thy  forehead  brass.  The 
hardening  of  the  face  or  forehead,  which  is  sometimes  used  in 
a  good  sense  (e.  g.  ch.  50  :  7),  here  denotes  shameless  persis- 
tency in  opposition  to  the  truth. 

5.  TJierefore  I  told  thee  long  ago.  This  is  often  the  force  of 
the  conjunction  and  after  a  conditional  clause  or  sentence. 
Because  I  knew  thee  to  be  such,  and  I  told  thee,  i.  e.  therefore 
I  told  thee.  Before  it  coines  I  have  let  thee  hear  (it),  lest  thou 
say,  My  idol  did  them,  i.  e.  did  the  things  before  referred  to 
collectively  in  the  singular.  The  Hebrew  word  for  idol,  from 
the  double  meaning  of  its  root,  suggests  the  two  ideas  of  an 
image  and  a  torment  or  vexation.  My  graven  image  and  my 
molten  image  ordered  them,  i.  e.  called  them  into  being. 

6.  Thou  hast  heard  (the  prediction),  see  all  of  it  (accomplished). 
A7id  ye  (idolaters  or  idols),  loill  not  ye  declare,  the  same  word 
used  above  for  the  prediction  of  events,  and  therefore  no  doubt 
meaning  here,  will  not  ye  predict  something ?  /  have  made 
thee  to  hear  new  things.  He  appeals  not  only  to  the  past  but  to 
the  future,  and  thus  does  what  he  vainly  challenges  them  to  do. 
There  is  no  need  of  inquiring  what,  particular  pre  actions  are 
referred  to.  All  that  seems  to  be  intended  is  the  general  dis- 
tinction between  past  and  future,  between  earlier  and  later 


CHAPTER   XLVIII.  199 

prophecies.  From  now,  henceforth,  after  the  present  time. 
And  {things)  kept  (in  reserve),  and  thou  hast  not  known  them,  or 
in  our  idiom,  which  thou  hast  not  known. 

7.  Now  th'-y  are  created  (i.  e.  brought  into  existence  for  the 
first  time)  and  not  of  old,  or  never  before.  The  literal  meaning 
of  the  next  words  is,  and  before  the  day  and  thoii  hast  7iot  heard 
them.  This  probably  means  before  this  dg,y  (or  before  to-day) 
thou  hast  never  heard  them.  The  same  reason  is  assigned  as 
before :  i"*/  thou  shouldst  say,  Behold,  I  knew  them. 

8,  Nay,  thou  didst  not  hear  ;  nay,  thou  didst  not  know.  The 
idiomatic  form  of  this  sentence  is  not  easily  expressed  in  a 
translation,  which,  if  too  exact,  will  fail  to  show  the  true  con- 
nection. Having  given  the  perverseness  of  the  people  as  a 
reason  why  they  knew  so  much  by  previous  revelation,  he  now 
assigns  it  as  a  reason  why  they  knew  so  little.  These,  although 
at  first  sight  inconsistent  statements,  are  but  varied  aspects  of 
the  same  thing.  God  had  told  them  so  much  beforehand,  lest 
they  should  ascribe  the  event  to  other  causes.  He  had  told 
them  no  more,  because  he  knew  that  they  would  wickedly 
abuse  his  favour.  In  a  certain  sense  and  to  a  certain  extent, 
it  was  true  that  they  had  heard  and  known  these  things  before- 
hand. In  another  sense,  and  beyond  that  extent,  it  was 
equally  true  that  they  had  neither  heard  nor  known  them. 
It  was  true  that  they  had  heard,  but  it  was  also  true  that  they 
had  not  heard.  The  strict  sense  of  the  clause  is,  likewise  thou 
hadst  not  heard,  likewise  thou  hadst  not  known ;  but  as  this  form 
of  expression  is  quite  foreign  from  our  idiom,  7iay  may  be  sub- 
stituted, not  as  a  synonyme  but  an  equivalent.  The  yea  of 
the  common  version  fails  to  indicate  the  true  connection,  by 
suggesting  the  idea  of  a  climax  rather  than  that  of  an  an- 
tithesis, of  something  more  rather  than  of  something  different. 
Likewise  of  old  (or  beforehand)  thitie  ear  teas  not  open,  literally, 


200  CHAPTER  XLVIII. 

did  not  ope7i,  the  Hebrew  usage  coinciding  with  the  English  in 
giving  to  this  verb  both  a  transitive  and  intransitive  sense. 
(For  another  clear  example  of  the  latter,  see  below,  ch.  60  :  11.) 
The  sense  is  not,  that  because  they  would  not  hear  or  know 
what  was  revealed,  God  denounced  them  as  traitors  and  apos- 
tates ;  but  that  because  they  were  traitors  and  apostates,  he 
would  not  allow  them  to  hear  or  know  the  things  in  question. 
/  know  thou  wilt  (or  /  kneio  thou  wouldest)  act  very  treacherously. 
Some  suppose  the  emphatic  repetition  of  the  verb  to  express 
certainty  rather  than  intensity,  and  both  may  be  included, 
i.  e.  both  would  perhaps  be  unavoidably  suggested  by  this  form 
of  expression  to  a  Hebrew  reader.  And  apostate  (rebel,  or  de- 
serter)//'om  the  ivomb  loas  called  to  thee,  i.  e.  this  name  was  used 
in  calling  thee,  or  thou  wast  called.  Besides  the  idiom  in  the 
syntax,  there  is  here  another  instance  of  the  use  of  the  verb 
call  or  name  to  express  the  real  character.  They  were  so 
called,  i.  e.  they  might  have  been  so,  they  deserved  to  be  so. 
(See  above,  on  ch.  1  :  26.)  Here,  as  in  ch.  42  :  2,  24,  most  in- 
terpreters explain  the  womb  as  meaning  Egypt,  but  in  all  the 
cases,  it  seems  far  more  natural  to  understand  this  trait  of  the 
description  as  belonging  rather  to  the  sign  than  the  thing  sig- 
nified, as  representing  no  specific  circumstance  of  time  or  place 
in  the  history  of  Israel,  but  simply  the  infancy  or  birth  of  the 
ideal  person  substituted  for  him. 

9.  For  my  valuers  sake.  Most  interpreters  explain  this  as  an 
equivalent  but  stronger  expression  than  for  my  oicn  sake,  for 
the  sake  of  the  revelation  which  I  have  already  made  of  my 
own  attributes.  This  explanation  agrees  well  with  the  lan- 
guage of  V.  11  below.  I  will  defer  my  anger.  Literally,  jJi'o- 
long  k;  but  this  would  be  equivocal  in  English.  The  common 
version,  I toill  defer  my  anger,  is  approved  by  the  latest  writers, 
and  confirmed  not  only  by  our  familiar  use  of  long  and  slow,  in 
certain  applications,  as  convertible  terms,  but  also  by  the  uu- 


CHAPTER   XLVIII.  201 

equivocal   analogy   of  the   Greek  fiaxqodvfiog  and   the  Latin 

longanimis.  And  {for)  my  praise  I  will  reslrain  [ii)  toivards 
thee.  The  last  words  of  the  verse  express  the  effect  to  be  pro- 
duced, 50  as  not  to  cut  thee  off,  or  destroy  thee. 

10.  Behold  I  have  melted  thee.  This  is  the  original  meaning 
of  the  word  ;  but  it  is  commonly  applied  to  the  smelting  of 
metals,  and  may  therefore  be  translated  proved  or  tried  thee. 
And  not  loith  silver.  Some  read  as  silver,  and  others  bring 
out  substantially  the  same  sense  by  rendering  it  icith  (i.  e.  in 
company  with)  silver,  or  by  means  of  the  same  process.  Apart 
from  these  interpretations,  which  assume  the  sense  like  silver, 
the  opinions  of  interpreters  have  been  divided  chiefly  between 
two.  The  first  of  these  explains  the  Prophet's  words  to  mean, 
not  for  silver  (or  money),  but  gratuitously.  This  is  certainly 
the  meaning  of  the  expression  in  a  number  of  places ;  but  it 
seems  to  be  entirely  inappropriate  when  speaking  of  affliction, 
which  is  rather  aggravated  than  relieved  by  the  idea  of  its 
being  gratuitous,  i.  e.  for  nothing.  The  other  explanation, 
and  the  one  now  commonly  adopted,  takes  the  sense  to  be,  not 
with  silver  (i.  e.  pure  metal)  as  the  result  of  the  process.  This 
agrees  well  with  the  context,  which  makes  the  want  of  merit 
on  the  part  of  Israel  continually  prominent.  It  also  corres- 
ponds exactly  to  the  other  clause,  I  have  chosen  thee  (not  in 
wealth,  or  power,  or  honour,  but)  in  the  furnace  of  affliction.  If 
the  furnace  of  affliction  was  designed  to  have  a  distinct  histori- 
cal meaning,  it  probably  refers  not  to  Babylon  but  Egypt, 
which  is  repeatedly  called  an  iron  furnace.  This  '<;\<^uld  agree 
exactly  with  the  representations  elsewhere  made  respecting  the 
dection  of  Israel  in  Egypt, 

11.  For  my  own  sake,  for  my  own  sake,  I  will  do  (what  is  to 
be  done).  This  is  commonly  restricted  to  the  restoration  of 
the  Jews  from  exile  ;  but  this  specific  application  of  the  promise 

9* 


202  CHAPTER    XLVIII. 

is  not  made  till  afterwards.  The  terms  are  comprehensive  and 
contain  a  statement  of  the  general  doctrine,  as  the  sum  of  the 
whole  argument,  that  what  Jehovah  does  for  his  own  people,  is 
in  truth  done  not  for  any  merit  upon  their  part,  but  to  protect 
his  own  divine  honour.  For  hoiv  icill  it  be  profaned  ?  This 
may  either  mean.  How  greatly  would  it  be  profaned !  or.  How 
can  I  suffer  it  to  be  profaned  ?  And  my  glory  (or  honour)  to 
another  will  I  not  give,  as  he  must  do  if  his  enemies  eventually 
triumph  over  his  own  people.  The  same  words  with  the  same 
sense  occur  above  in  ch.  42  :  8. 

12.  Hearken  unto  me,  oh  Jacob,  and  Israel  my  called;  I  am 
He,  I  am  tiie  First,  also  I  the  last.  A  renewed  assurance  of 
his  ability  and  willingness  to  execute  his  promises,  the  latter 
being  implied  in  the  phrase  my  called,  i.  e.  specially  elected  by 
me  to  extraordinary  privileges.  The  threefold  repetition  of 
the  pronoun  I  is  supposed  by  some  of  the  older  writers  to  con- 
tain an  allusion  to  the  Trinity.  I  am  He  is  understood  by 
the  later  writers  to  mean  I  am  the  Being  in  question,  or,  it  is 
I  that  am  the  First  and  the  Last.  The  older  writers  give  the 
pronoun  He  a  more  emphatic  sense,  as  meaning  He  that  really 
exists. 

13.  Also  my  hand  founded  the  earth,  atid  my  right  hand  spasmed 
the  heave?is.  The  force  of  also  seems  to  be  this  :  not  only  am 
I  an  Eternal  Being,  but  the  Creator  of  the  heavens.  Hand 
and  right  hand  is  merely  a  poetical  or  rhetorical  variation. 
In  the  lai^  clause  of  the  verse  the  English  Version  has  ivhcn 
I  call.  But  in  Hebrew  usage,  the  pronoun  and  participle  thus 
combined  are  employed  to  express  present  and  continuou| 
action  /  {am)  calling,  i.  e.  I  habitually  call.  The  words  must 
either  be  referred  to  the  constant  exertion  of  creative  power 
in  the  conservation  of  the  universe,  or  to  the  authority  of  the 
Creator  over  his  creatures  as  his  instruments  and  servants.    / 


CHAPTER   XLVIII.  203- 

call  to  them  (summon  them),  and  they  will  stand  up  together 
(i.  e.  all  without  exception).  This  agrees  well  with  the  usage 
of  the  phrase  to  stand  before^  as  expressing  the  attendance  of 
the  servant  on  his  master.  (See  for  example  1  Kings  17  :  1.) 
The  same  two  ideas  of  creation  and  service  are  connected  in 
Ps.  119:  90,  91.  The  exclusive  reference  of  the  whole  verse 
to  creation,  on  the  other  hand,  is  favoured  by  the  analogy  of 
Rom.  4:17  and  Col.  1  :  17.  For  the  different  expressions 
here  used,  see  above,  ch.  40  :  22.  42 :  5.  44  :  24.  45  :  12. 

14.  Assemble  yourselves,  all  of  you,  and  hear!  The  object 
of  address  is  Israel,  according  to  the  common  supposition,  but 
more  pi'obably  the  heathen.  Who  among  them,  i.  e.  the  false 
gods  or  their  prophets,  hath  declared  (predicted)  these  things,  the 
whole  series  of  events  which  had  been  cited  to  demonstrate 
the  divine  foreknowledge.  Jehovah  loves  him,  i.  e.  Israel,  and 
to  show  his  love,  he  will  do  his  pleasure  (execute  his  purpose)- 
171  Babylon,  and  his  (Jehovah's)  arm  (shall  be  'Upon)  the  Chal- 
dees.  This  explanation  seems  to  answer  all  the  conditions  of 
the  text  and  context.  Most  interpreters,  however,  make  the 
clause  refer  to  Cyrus,  and  translate  it  thus :  '  he  whom  Jehovah 
loves  shall  do  his  pleasure  in  Babylon,  and  his  arm  (i.  e.  ex- 
ercise his  power  or  his  vengeance)  on  the  Chaldees.' 

15.  /,  /,  have  spoken  (i.  e.  predicted) ;  /  have  also  called  him 
(effectually  by  my  providence) ;  /  have  brought  him  (into  exist- 
ence, or  into  public  view) ;  a?id  he  prospered  his  way.  The 
subject  of  the  last  verb  is  Cyrus  or  Israel,  and  we  may  under- 
stand the  phrase  as  meaning,  he  makes  his  own  way  prosperous, 
i.  e.  he  prospers  in  it.     (Compare  Ps.  1:3.) 

16.  Draw  near  u?ito  mc!  As  Jehovah  is  confessedly  the 
speaker  in  the  foregoing  and  the  following  context,  and  as 
similar  language  is  expressly  ascribed  to  him  in  ch.  45  :  19, 


204  CHAPTER    XLVII I. 

some  regard  it  as  most  natural  to  make  these  his  words  like- 
wise, assuming  a  transition  in  the  last  clause  from  Jehovah  to 
the  Prophet,  who  there  describes  himself  as  sent  by  Jehovah. 
Others  reconcile  the  clauses  by  making  Christ  the  speaker. 
Those  who  believe  that  he  is  elsewhere  introduced  in  this  same 
book,  can  have  no  difficulty  in  admitting  a  hypothesis,  which 
reconciles  the  divine  and  human  attributes  referred  to  in  the 
sentence,  as  belonging  to  one  person.  Hear  this ;  not  from  the 
beginning  in  secret  have  I  spoken.  See  above,  on  ch.  45  :  19. 
From  the  time  of  its  being.  Most  interpreters  refer  the  pro- 
noun {it)  to  the  raising  up  of  Cyrus  and  the  whole  series 
of  events  connected  with  it,  which  formed  the  subject  of  the 
prophecies  in  question.  (See  above,  ch.  46  :  11.)  Since  these 
events  began  to  take  place,  I  was  there.  Those  who  regard 
these  as  the  words  of  Isaiah,  understand  them  to  mean  that 
he  had  predicted  them.  Those  who  refer  the  words  to  the 
Son  of  God  specifically,  make  the  verse  substantially  identical 
in  meaning  with  the  one  in  Prov.  8  :  27,  which  the  church  in 
every  age  has  been  very  much  of  one  mind  in  applying  to  the 
second  person  of  the  Godhead  as  the  hypostatical  wisdom  of 
the  Father.  Those  who  take  the  words  more  generally  as  the 
language  of  Jehovah,  understand  him  to  declare  that  these 
events  had  not  occurred  without  his  knowledge  or  his  agency  ; 
that  he  was  present,  cognizant,  and  active,  in  the  whole  affair* 
Thus  far  this  last  hypothesis  must  be  allowed  to  be  the  simplest 
and  most  natural.  And  now  the  Lord  Jehovah  hath  sent  me. 
Those  who  regard  Isaiah  as  the  speaker  in  the  whole  verse 
understand  this  clause  to  mean,  that  as  he  had  spoken  be- 
fore by  divine  authority  and  inspiration,  he  did  so  still. 
Those  who  refer  the  first  clause  simply  to  Jehovah,  without 
reference  to  personal  distinctions,  are  under  the  necessity  of 
here  assuming  a  transition  to  the  language  of  the  Prophet 
himself  The  third  hypothesis,  which  makes  the  Son  of  God 
the  speaker,  understands  both  clauses  in  their  strict  sense  as 


CHAPTER  XLVIIL  205 

denoting  bis  eternity  on  the  one  hand  and  his  mission   on  the 
other.     The  sending  of  the  Son  by  the  Father  is  a  standing 
form    of   speech   in   Scripture.     (See  Ex.   23  :  20.  Is.   61  :  1. 
Mai.  3:1.  John  3  :  34.    17:3.   Heb.  3:1.)    A/id  his  Si.irit.     It 
has  long  been  a  subject  of  dispute  whether  these  words  belong 
to  the  subject  or  the  object  of  the  verb  hath  sent.     The  English 
Version  removes  all  ambiguity  by  changing  the  collocation  of 
the  words  {the  Lord    God  and  his  Spirit  hath  sent  me).     The 
exegetical  question  is  not  one   of  much  importance  :  because 
both  the  senses  yielded  are  consistent  with  the  usage  of  the 
Scriptures,  and   the  ambiguity  may  be  intended   to  let  both 
suggest  themselves.     The   main   proposition  is,  the  Lord  God 
hath  sent  me.     The   supplementary  expression  and  his   Spirit 
may  be  introduced,  without  absurdity  or  any  violation  of  the 
rules  of  syntax,  either  before  the  verb  or  after  it.     Mere  usage 
therefore  leaves  the  question  undecided.     As  little  can   it   be 
determined  by  the  context  or  the  parallelisms.     The  argument,' 
which  some  urge,  that  the  Spirit  is  never  said  "to  send  the  Son, 
takes  for  granted  that  the  latter  is  the  speaker,  an  assumption 
which  precludes  any  inference  from  the  language  of  this  clause 
in  proof  of  that  position.     Those  on  the  other  hand,  who  con- 
sider these   the  words  of  Isaiah,  argue  in  favour  of  the  other 
construction,  that  the  Spirit  is  said  to  send  the  prophets.  .    On 
the  whole  this  may  be  fairly  represented  as  one  of  the  most 
doubtful  questions  of  construction  in  the  book,  and  the   safest 
course  is  either  to   admit  that  both  ideas  were  meant  to  be 
suggested,  although  probably  in  different   degrees,  or   else  to 
fall  back  upon  the  general  rule,  though  liable  to  numberless 
exceptions,  that  the  preference  is  due  to  the  nearest  antecedent 
or  to  that   construction  which   adheres   most  closely  to  the 
actual  collocation  of  the  words.     The  application  of  this  prin- 
ciple in  this  case  would  decide  the  doubt  in  favour  of  the  pre- 
vailing modern  doctrine,  that  Jehovah  had  sent  the  person 


206  CHAPTER   XLVIII. 

speaking   and   endued   laim  with   his    Spirit,  as   a  necessary 
preparation  for  the  work  to  which  he  was  appointed. 

17.  Thus  saith  Jehovah^  thy  Redeemer,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel 
(see  the  same  prefatory  formulas  above,  ch.  41  :  14.  43  :  14). 
I  am  Jehovah  thy  God  (or  /  Jehovah  am  thy  God),  teaching  thee 
to  profit  (or  /,  Jehovah,  thy  God,  am  teaching  thee  to  frofit).  To 
profit,  i.  e.  to  be  profitable  to  thyself,  to  provide  for  thy  own 
safety  and  prosperity.  There  seems  to  be  a  reference  to  the 
unprofitableness  so  often  charged  upon  false  gods  and  their 
worship.  (See  ch.  44:  10.  45:  19.  Jer,  2:  11.)  Leading  thee 
(literally,  maldng  thee  to  tread)  in  the  way  thou  shall  go.  The 
ellipsis  of  the  relative  is  just  the  same  as  in  familiar  English. 
The  future  includes  the  ideas  of  obligation  and  necessity, 
without  expressing  them  directly ;  the  precise  sense  of  the 
words  is,  the  way  thou  ivilt  go  if  thou  desirest  to  profit. 

18.  The  first  verb  in  the  verse  is  commonly  taken  in  the 
wide  sense  of  attending,  that  of  listening  being  looked  upon  as 
a  specific  application  of  it.  It  may  be  questioned,  however, 
whether  there  is  any  clear  case  of  its  being  used  without  ex- 
plicit reference  to  hearing.  If  not,  this  must  be  regarded  as 
the  proper  meaning,  and  the  wider  sense  considered  as  implied 
but  not  expressed.  The  common  explanation  of  the  first 
clause  is,  Oh  that  thou  hadst  hearkened  to  my  commandments ! 
Nothing  could  well  be  more  appropriate  at  the  close  of  this 
division  of  the  prophecies,  than  this  afi"ecting  statement  of  the 
truth,  so  frequently  propounded  in  didactic  form  already,  that 
Israel,  although  the  chosen  people  of  Jehovah,  and  as  such 
secure  from  total  ruin,  was  and  was  to  be  a  suff"erer,  not  from 
any  want  of  faithfulness  or  care  on  God's  part,  but  as  the 
necessary  fruit  of  his  own  imperfections  and  corruptions. 
Then  had  thy  peace  been  as  the  river,  which  some  understand 
to  mean  the  Euphrates  in  particular,  with  whose  inundations, 


CHAPTER   XLVIII.  207 

as  well  as  with  its  ordinary  flow,  the  Prophet's  original  readers 
were  familiar.  It  seems  to  be  more  natural,  however,  to  regard 
the  article  as  pointing  out  a  definite  class  of  objects  rather 
than  an  individual,  and  none  the  less  because  the  parallel  ex- 
pression is  the  sm,  which  some,  with  wanton  violence,  apply  to 
the  Euphrates  also.  Peace  is  here  used  in  its  wide  sense  of 
prosperity  ;  or  rather  peace,  in  the  strictest  sense,  is  used  to 
represent  all  kindred  and  attendant  blessings.  The  parallel 
term  righteousness  adds  moral  good  to  natural,  and  supplies 
the  indispensable  condition  without  which  the  other  cannot  be 
enjoyed.  The  ideas  suggested  by  the  figure  of  a  river  are 
abundance,  perpetuity,  and  freshness,  to  which  the  waves  of 
the  sea  add  those  of  vastness,  depth,  and  continual  succession. 

■  19.  Then  should  have  been  lib?  the  sand  thy  seed^  a  common 
scriptural  expression  for  great  multitude,  with  special  reference, 
in  this  case,  to  the  promise  made  to  Abraham  and  Jacob 
(Gen.  22  :  17.  32  :  12),  the  partial  accomplis'hment  of  which 
(2  Sam.  17  :  11)  is  not  inconsistent  with  the  thought  here  ex- 
pressed, that,  in  the  case  supposed,  it  would  have  been  far 
more  ample  and  conspicuous.  The  image  is  that  of  a  parent 
(here  the  patriarch  Jacob)  and  his  personal  descendants.  And 
the  issues  (or  offspring)  of  thy  boioels  (an  equivalent  expression 
to  thy  seed).  Of  the  next  word  there  are  two  interpre*itions. 
Some  give  it  the  sense  of  stones,  pebbles,  gravel  c4,ud  make  it 
a  poetical  equivalent  to  sand.  Others  xiiake  the  antithesis 
between  thy  bowels  and  its  buweis,  viz.  those  of  the  sea ;  and 
the  whole  clause,  supplying-  the  ellipsis,  will  read  thus,  the  off- 
spring of  thy  boiccls  like  (the  offspring  of)  its  botvels,  in  allusion 
to  the  vast  increase  of  fishes.  His  name.  We  must  either 
suppose  an  abrupt  transition  from  the  second  to  the  third 
person,  or  make  seed  the  antecedent  of  the  pronoun,  which  is 
harsh  in  itself,  and  rendered  more  so  by  the  intervening  plural 
forms.     All  the  requisitions  of  the  text  are  answered  by  the 


208  CHAPTER   XL  VIII. 

common  understanding  of  namc^  in  such  connections,  as  equiva- 
lent to  memory.  The  excision  or  destruction  of  the  name  from 
before  God  is  expressive  of  entire  extermination.  The  precise 
sense  of  the  futures  in  this  clause  is  somewhat  dubious.  Most 
interpreters  assimilate  them  to  the  futures  of  the  foregoing 
clause,  as  in  the  English  Version  {xhould  not  have  been  cut  off 
nor  destroyed).  Those  who  understand  the  first  clause  as  ex- 
pressing a  wish  in  relation  to  the  present  or  the  future,  make 
this  last  a  promise,  either  absolute  {his  name  shall  not  be  cut  off) 
or  conditional  {his  name  should  not  be  cut  off).  Nor  is  this 
direct  construction  of  the  last  clause  inconsistent  with  the  old 
interpretation  of  the  first ;  as  we  may  suppose  that  the  writer, 
after  wishing  that  the  people  had  escaped  the  strokes  provoked 
by  their  iniquities,  declares  that  even  now  they  shall  not  be 
entirely  destroyed.  This  is  precisely  the  sense  given  to  the 
clause  in  the  Septuagint,  and  is  recommended  by  its  perfect 
agreement  with  the  whole  drift  of  the  passage  and  the  analogy 
of  others  like  it,  where  the  explanation  of  the  sufl:erings  of  the 
people  as  the  fruit  of  their  own  sin  is  combined  with  a  promise 
of  exemption  from  complete  destruction. 

20.  Go  forth  from  Babel !  This  is  a  prediction  of  the  de- 
liv'erance  from  Babylon,  clothed  in  the  form  of  an  exhortation 
to  escape  from  it.  "We  have  no  right  to  assume  a  capricious 
change  of  subject,  or  a  want  of  all  coherence  with  what  goes 
before.  The  connectioi^  r^ay  be  thus  stated.  After  the  gen- 
eral reproof  and  promise  of  the  nmtt-^enth  verse,  he  recurs  to 
the  great  example  of  deliverance  so  often  introduced  before. 
As  if  he  had  said,  Israel,  notwithstanding  his  unworthiness, 
shall  be  preserved  ;  even  in  extremity  his  God  will  not  forsake 
him ;  even  from  Babylon  he  shall  be  delivered  ;  and  then 
turning  in  prophetic  vision  to  the  future  exiles,  he  invites  them 
to  come  forth.  Flee  from  the  Chasdim  (or  Chaldees)  !  With  a 
voice  of  joy.     The  last  word  properly  denotes  a  joyful  shout, 


CHAPTER  XLVIII.  209 

and  not  articulate  song.  The  whole  phrase  means,  with  the 
sound  or  noise  of  such  a  shout.  It  has  been  made  a  question 
whether  these  words  are  to  be  connected  with  what  goes  be- 
fore or  with  what  follows.  Tell  this^  cause  it  to  be  heard.  The 
Hebrew  collocation  (/e//,  cause  to  he  heard^  this)  cannot  be  re- 
tained in  English.  Ulter  it  (cause  it  to  go  forth)  even  to  the 
end  of  the  earth.  Compare  ch,  42  :  10.  43  :  6.  Say  ye^  Jehovah 
hath  redeemed  his  servant  Jacob.  The  deliverance  from  Baby- 
lon is  here  referred  to,  only  as  one  great  example  of  the  gen- 
eral truth  that  God  saves  his  peojjje. 

21.  And  they  thirsted  not  in  the  deserts  (through  which)  he 
made  them  go.  Water  from  a  well  he  made  to  flow  for  them  ;  and 
he  clave  the  rock.,  and  waters  gushed  out.  There  is  evident  refer- 
ence here  to  the  miraculous  supply  of  water  in  the  journey 
through  the  wilderness.  (Ex.  17  :  6.  Num.  20 :  11.  Ps.  78  :  15.) 
It  miffht  even  seem  as  if  the  writer  meant  to  state  these  facts 
historically.  Such  at  least  would  be  the  simpler  exposition  of 
his  words,  which  would  then  contain  a  reference  to  the  exodus 
from  Egypt,  as  the  great  historical  example  of  deliverance. 
As  if  he  had  said,  Relate  how  God  of  old  redeemed  his  servant 
Jacob  out  of  Egypt,  and  led  him  through  the  wilderness,  and 
slaked  his  thirst  with  water  from  the  solid  rock.  Most  inter- 
preters, however,  are  agreed  in  applying  tha»words  to  the  de- 
liverance from  Babylon. 

22.  There  is  no  peace,  saith  Jehovah,  to  the  wicked.  The  mean- 
ing of  this  sentence,  in  itself  considered,  is  too  clear  to  be  dis- 
puted. There  is  more  doubt  as  to  its  connection  with  what 
goes  before.  That  it  is  a  mere  aphorism,  added  to  this  long 
discourse,  like  a  moral  to  an  ancient  fable,  can  only  satisfy  the 
minds  of  those  who  look  upon  the  whole  book  as  a  series  of 
detached  and  incoherent  sentences.  Vastly  more  rational  is 
the  opinion,  now  the  current  one  among  interpreters,  that  this 


210  CHAPTER    X  L  I  X. 

verse  was  intended  to  restrict  the  operation  of  the  foregoing 
promises  to  true  believers,  or  the  genuine  Israel ;  as  if  he  had 
said,  All  this  will  God  accomplish  for  his  people,  but  not  for 
the  wicked  among  them.  The  grand  conclusion  to  which  all 
tends  is,  that  God  is  all  and  man  nothing  ;  that  even  the  chosen 
people  must  be  sufferers,  because  they  are  sinners ;  that  pecu- 
liar favour  confers  no  immunity  to  sin  or  exemption  from  re- 
sponsibility, but  that  even  amidst  the  enjoyment  of  the  most 
extraordinary  privileges,  it  still  remains  forever  true  that 
"  there  is  no  peace  to  the  wicked." 


CHAPTER    XLIX. 

This  chapter,  like  the  whole  division  which  it  introduces, 
has  for  its  great  theme  the  relation  of  the  church  to  the  world, 
or  of  Israel  to  the  gentiles.  The  relation  of  the  former  to  Je- 
hovah is  of  course  still  kept  in  view,  but  with  less  exclusive 
prominence  than  in  the  preceding  part  (ch.  xl-xlviii).  The 
doctrine  there  established  and  illustrated,  as  to  the  mutual  rela- 
tion of  the  body  and  the  head,  is  here  assumed  as  the  basis  of 
more  explicit  teachings  with  respect  to  their  joint  relation  to 
the  world  and  the  great  design  of  their  vocation.  There  is  not 
so  much  a  change  of  topics  as  a  change  in  their  relative  posi- 
tion and  proportions. 

The  chapter  opens  with  an  exhibition  of  the  Messiah  and 
his  people,  ^under  one  ideal  person,  as  the  great  appointed 
Teacher,  Apostle,  and  Restorer,  of  the  apostate  nations,  vs.  1-9. 
This  is  followed  by  a  promise  of  divine  protection  and  of  glori- 
ous enlargement,  attended  by  a  joyous  revolution  in  the  state 
«f  the  whole  world,  vs.  10-13.     The  doubts  and  apprehensions 


CHAPTER    XLIX.  211 

of  the  church  herself  are  twice  recited  under  different  forms, 
vs.  14  and  24,  and  as  often  met  and  silenced,  first  by  repeated 
and  still  stronger  promises  of  God's  unchanging  love  to  his 
people  and  of  their  glorious  enlargement  and  success,  vs. 
15-23  ;  then  by  an  awful  threatening  of  destruction  to  their 
enemies  and  his,  vs.  25,  26. 

1.  Hearken  ye  islands  unto  mr^  and  attend  ye  nations  from  afar. 
Here,  as  in  eh.  41  :  1,  he  turns  to  the  gentiles  and  addresses 
them  directly.  There  is  the  same  diversity  in  this  case  as  to 
the  explanation  of  n"<'^x.  But  there  seems  to  be  no  sufficient 
reason  for  departing  from  the  sense  of  islands.,  which  may  be 
considered  as  a  poetical  representative  of  foreign  and  especially 
of  distant  nations,  although  not  as  directly  expressing  that 
idea.  Froin  afar  is  not  merely  at  a  distance  (although  this  ex- 
planation might,  in  case  of  necessity,  be  justified  by  usage), 
but  suggests  the  idea  of  attention  being-  drawn  to  a  central 
point /yo?«  other  points  around  it.  Jehovah  from  the  womb  hath 
called  me.,  from  the  bowels  of  my  mother  he  hath  me^itioned  my  name 
(or  literally,  caused  it  to  be  remembered).  The  expression 
from  the  womb  may  be  either  inclusive  of  the  period  before 
birth,  or  restricted  to  the  actual  vocation  of  the  speaker  to  his 
providential  work.  The  speaker  in  this  and  the  following 
verses  is  not  Isaiah,  either  as  an  individual,  or  as  a  represen- 
tative of  the  prophets  generally,  on  either  of  which  supposi- 
tions the  terms  used  are  inappropriate  and  extravagant. 
Neither  the  prophets  as  a  class,  nor  Isaiah  as  a  single  prophet, 
had  been  intrusted  with  a  message  to  the  gentiles.  In  favour 
of  supposing  that  the  speaker  is  Israel,  the  chosen  people, 
there  are  various  considerations,  but  especially  the  aid  which 
this  hypothesis  affords  in  the  interpretation  of  the  third  verse. 
At  the  same  time  there  are  clear  indications  that  the  words 
are  the  words  of  the  Messiah.  These  two  most  plausible  in- 
terpretations may  be  reconciled  and  blended,  by  assuming  that 


212  CHAPTER    XLIX. 

in  this  case  as  in  ch.  42  :  1,  the  ideal  speaker  is  the  Messiah 
considered  as  the  head  of  his  people  and  as  forming  with  them 
one  complex  person.  If,  as  we  have  seen  cause  to  believe,  the 
grand  theme  of  this  whole  book  is  the  Church,  in  its  relation 
to  its  Head  and  to  the  World,  the  anterior  presumption  is  no 
longer  agaiust  but  decidedly  in  favour  of  the  reference  of  this 
verse  to  the  Head  and  the  Bod}'  as  one  person,  a  reference 
confirmed,  as  we  shall  see,  by  clear  New  Testament  authority. 

2.  And  he  hath  placed  (i.  e.  rc?idered  or  made)  my  mouth  like  a 
sharp  sword.  By  mouth  we  are  of  course  to  understand  speech, 
discourse.  The  comparison  is  repeated  and  explained  in  the 
Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  (4:  12):  "The  word  of  God  is  quick 
and  powerful,  and  sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword,  piercing 
even  to  the  dividing  asunder  of  soul  and  spirit,  and  of  the 
joints  and  marrow,  and  is  a  discerner  of  the  thoughts  and  in- 
tents of  the  heart."  In  both  cases  these  qualities  are  pred- 
icated not  of  literal  speech  merely,  but  of  the  instruction  of 
which  it  is  the  natural  and  common  instrument.  As  tropical 
parallels,  Lowth  refers  to  Pindar's  frequent  description  of  his 
verses  as  darts,  but  especially  to  the  famous  panegyric  of 
Eupolis  on  Pericles,  that  he  alone  of  the  orators  left  a  sting 
in  those  who  heard  him.  In  the  shadow  of  his  hatid  he  hid  me. 
It  has  been  made  a  question  whether  i?i  the  shadow  of  his  hand 
means  in  his  hand  or  under  it ;  and  if  the  latter,  whether  there 
is  reference  to  the  usual  position  of  the  sword-belt,  or  to  the 
concealment  of  the  drawn  sword  or  dagger  under  the  arm  or 
in  the  sleeve.  Most  interpreters,  however,  prefer  the  obvious 
sense,  in  the  protection  of  his  hand,  or  rather  in  its  darkness, 
since  the  reference  is  not  so  much  to  safety  as  to  concealment. 
Thus  understood,  the  figure  is  appropriate  not  only  to  the  per- 
sonal Messiah,  but  to  the  ancient  church,  as  his  precursor  and 
representative,  in  which  high  character  it  was  not  known  for 
ages  to  the  nations.     And  he  placed  me  for  (that  is,  rendered  m£, 


CHAPTER   XLIX.  213 

or,  used  me  as)  a  polished  arrow.  This  is  the  parallel  expres- 
sion to  the  first  member  of  the  other  clause.  What  is  there 
called  a  sword  is  here  an  arrow.  The  essential  idea  is  of 
course  the  same,  viz.  that  of  penetrating  power,  but  perhaps 
with  an  additional  allusion  to  the  directness  of  its  aim  and  the 
swiftness  of  its  flight.  The  common  version  shaft  is  not  en- 
tirely accurate,  the  Hebrew  word  denoting  strictly  the  metallic 
head  of  the  arrow.  In  his  quiver  he  has  hid  me.  This  is  the 
corresponding  image  to  the  hiding  in  the  shadow  of  God's 
hand.  It  is  still  more  obvious  in  this  case  that  the  main  idea 
meant  to  be  conveyed  is  not  protection  but  concealment.  The 
archer  keeps  the  arrow  in  his  quiver  not  merely  that  it  may  be 
safe,  but  that  it  may  be  ready  for  use  and  unobserved  until  it 
is  used. 

3.  And  h"  (Jehovah)  said  to  me,  Thou  art  my  servant,  i.  e.  my 
instrument  or  agent  constituted  such  for  a  specific  and  impor- 
tant purpose.  In  this  same  character  both  Israel  and  the 
Messiah  have  before  been  introduced.  There  is  therefore  the 
less  reason  for  giving  any  other  than  the  strict  sense  to  the 
words  which  follow,  Isra<iVin  lohom  I  tuill  be  glorified  or  glorify 
myself.  The  version  I  lo ill  glory  seems  inadequate  and  not  suf- 
ficiently sustained  by  usage.  The  only  supposition  which  adheres 
to  the  natural  and  obvious  meaning  of  the  sentence,  and  yet 
agrees  with  the  context,  is  the  one  above  mentioned,  viz.  that 
of  a  complex  subject  including  the  Messiah  and  his  people, 
or  the  body  with  its  head. 

4.  And  I  said,  in  opposition  or  reply  to  what  Jehovah  said. 
The  pronoun  in  Hebrew,  being  not  essential  to  the  sense,  is 
emphatic.  In  vain  (or  (or  a  vain  thing,  i.  e.  an  unattainable 
object)  have  I  toiled.  The  Hebrew  word  suggests  the  idea  of 
exhaustion  and  weariness.  For  empliniss  and  vanity  my  strength 
have  I  consumed.     But  my  right  is  with  Jehovah  and  my  work 


214  CHAPTER    XLIX. 

with  my  God.  Work  is  no  doubt  here  used  in  the  same  sense 
as  in  ch.  40  :  10,  viz.  that  of  recompense,  being  put  for  its 
result  or  its  equivalent.  If  so,  it  is  altogether  probable  that 
right  here  means  that  to  which  I  have  a  right  or  am  entitled, 
that  is  to  say  in  this  connection,  my  reward  or  recompense. 
This  explanation  of  the  term  is  certainly  more  natural  than 
that  which  makes  it  mean^wi^/  cause^  my  suit,  as  this  needlessly 
introduces  a  new  figure,  viz  that  of  litigation,  over  and  above 
that  of  labour  or  service  for  hire.  This  clause  is  universally 
explained  as  an  expression  of  strong  confidence  that  God 
would  make  good  what  was  wanting,  by  bestowing  the  reward 
which  had  not  yet  been  realized.  With  therefore  means  in 
his  possession,  and  at  his  disposal.  The  next  verse  shows  that 
the  failure  here  complained  of  is  a  failure  to  accomplish  the 
great  work  before  described,  viz.  that  of  converting  the  world. 

5.  And  noio,  saith  Jehovah,  my  maker  (or  ivho  formed  me)  from 
the  womb,  for  a  servant  to  himself,  i.  e.  to  be  his  servant  in  the 
sense  before  explained.  The  noio  may  be  here  taken  either  in 
its  temporal  or  logical  sense.  To  convert  (or  bring  back)  Jacob 
to  him.  This  cannot  mean  to  restore  from  exile  ;  for  how  could 
this  work  be  ascribed  directly  either  to  the  Prophet  or  the 
Prophets,  or  to  the  Messiah,  or  to  Israel  himself?  It  might 
indeed  apply  to  Cyrus,  but  the  whole  context  is  at  war  with 
such  an  explanation.  All  that  is  left,  then,  is  to  give  the  verb 
the  sense  of  bringing  back  to  a  state  of  allegiance  from  one  of 
alienation  and  revolt.  But  how  could  Jacob  or  Israel  be  said 
to  bring  himself  back?  This  is  the  grand  objection  to  the 
assumption  that  the  servant  of  Jehovah  was  Israel  himself. 
This  is  one  of  the  cases  where  the  idea  of  the  head  predomi- 
nates above  that  of  the  body,  because  they  are  related  to  each 
other  as  the  subject  and  object  of  one  and  the  same  action. 
The  vocation  of  Israel  was  to  reclaim  the  nations ;  that  of  the 
Messiah  was  first  to  reclaim   Israel   himself   and   then   the 


CHAPTER   XLIX.  215 

nations.  Some  read  the  next  clause  as  an  interrogation,  shall 
not  Israel  be  gathered  ?  Others  as  a  concession,  although  Israel 
be  not  gathered.  Others  as  a  simple  affirmation  in  the  present 
tense,  and  (yet)  Israel  is  not  gathered.  All  that  is  needed  to 
give  this  last  the  preference  is  the  substitution  of  the  future 
for  the  present,  after  which  the  whole  verse  may  be  paraphrased 
as  follows :  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  who  formed  me  from  the 
womb  as  a  servant  for  himself,  to  restore  Jacob  to  him — and 
(yet)  Israel  will  not  be  gathered — and  (yet)  I  shall  be  honoured 
in  the  eyes  of  Jehovah,  and  my  God  has  (already)  been  my 
strength/  The  first  ijet  introduced  to  show  the  true  connection 
is  equivalent  to  saving,  though  I  was  called  and  raised  up  for 
this  purpose  ;  the  other  is  equivalent  to  saying,  although 
Israel  will  not  be  gathered.  This  last  phrase  may  be  taken  as 
a  simple  prediction  that  they  should  not  be  gathered,  or  a 
declaration  that  they  would  not  (consent  to)  be  gathered. 
This  last,  if  not  expressed,  is  implied.  The  general  meaning 
of  the  verse  is  that  Messiah  and  his  people  should  be  honoured 
in  the  sight  of  God,  although  the  proximate  design  of  their 
mission,  the  salvation  of  the  literal  Israel,  might  seem  to  fail. 

6.  And  he  said.  This  does  not  introduce  a  new  discourse  or 
declaration,  but  resumes  the  construction  which  had  been  in- 
terrupted by  the  parenthetic  clauses  of  the  foregoing  verse. 
And  now  saith  lehovah  [toho  formed  me  from  the  womb  to  be  a  ser- 
vant to  himself  to  restore  Jacob  to  him.,  and  yet  Israel  will  not  be 
gathered,  and  yet  /  shall  be  honoured  in  the  eyes  of  Jehovah,  and 
my  God  has  bee?i  my  strength) — he  said  or  says  as  follows.  It  is 
a  light  thing  that  thou  shouldest  be  my  servant.  The  original 
form  of  expression  is  so  purely  idiomatic,  that  it  cannot  be  re- 
tained in  English.  Accoi'ding  to  the  usual  analogy,  the  He- 
brew words  would  seem  to  mean  it  is  lighter  than  thy  being  my 
servant ;  but  this  can  be  resolved  into  it  is  too  light  for  thee  to 
he  my  servant,  with  at  least  as  much  ease  as  a  hundred  other 


216  CHAPTER   XLIX. 

formulas,  the  sense  of  which  is  obvious,  however  difficult  it 
may  be  to  account  for  the  expression.  The  form  of  expression 
is  anomalous  and  rare,  though  not  unparalleled,  as  may  be  seen 
by  a  comparison  of  this  verse  with  Ezek.  8:17.  The  sense, 
if  it  were  doubtful  iu  itself,  would  be  clear  from  the  context, 
which  requires  this  to  be  taken  as  a  declaration  that  it  was  not 
enough  for  the  Messiah  (and  the  people  as  his  representative) 
to  labour  for  the  natural  descendants  of  Abraham,  but  he  and 
they  must  have  a  wider  field.  Thy  being  to  me  a  servant  to 
raise  up  the  tribes  of  Jacob  and  the  preserved  of  Israel  to  restore. 
This  form  of  expression  shows  very  clearly  that  in  this  and 
the  parallel  passages  servant  is  not  used  indefinitely,  but  in  the 
specific  sense  of  an  appointed  instrument  or  agent  to  perform 
a  certain  "work.  That  work  is  here  the  raising  up  of  Jacob,  a 
phrase  which  derives  light  from  the  parallel  expression,  to 
restore  the  preserved  of  Israel,  i.  e  to  raise  them  from  a  state 
of  degradation,  and  to  restore  them  from  a  state  of  estrange- 
ment. A  specific  reference  to  restoration  from  the  Babylonish 
exile  would  be  gratuitous  ;  much  more  the  restriction  of  the 
words  to  that  event,  which  is  merely  included  as  a  signal  in- 
stance of  deliverance  and  restoration  in  the  general.  And  I 
have  given  thee  for  a  light  to  the  gentiles  (as  in  ch.  42  :  6),  to  be 
my  salvation  even  to  the  end  of  the  earth.  This,  according  to 
the  English  idiom,  would  seem  to  mean  that  thou  mayest  be  my 
salvation  etc. ;  but  Hebrew  usage  equally  admits  of  the  inter- 
pretation, that  my  salvation  may  be  (i.  e.  extend)  to  the  end  of 
the  earthy  which  is  in  fact  preferred  by  most  interpreters.  The 
meaning  of  this  verse  is  not,  as  some  suppose,  that  the  heathen 
should  be  given  to  him  in  exchange  and  compensation  for  the 
unbelieving  Jews,  but  that  his  mission  to  the  latter  was,  from 
the  beginning,  but  a  small  part  of  his  high  vocation.  The  ap- 
plication of  this  verse  by  Paul  and  Barnabas,  in  their  address 
to  the  Jews  of  Antioch  iu  Pisidia  (Acts  13  :  47)  is  very  im- 
portant, as  a  confirmation  of  the  hypothesis  assumed  above, 


m 


CHAPTER    XLIX.  217 

that  the  person  here  described  is  not  the  Messiah  exclusively, 
but  that  his  people  are  included  in  the  subject  of  the  descrip- 
tion. "  It  was  necessary  that  the  word  of  God  should  first 
have  been  spoken  unto  you ;  but  seeing  ye  put  it  from  you, 
and  judge  yourselves  unworthy  of  everlasting  life,  lo,  we  turn 
to  the  gentiles.  For  so  hath  the  Lord  commanded  us 
(saying),  I  have  set  thee  to  be  a  light  to  the  gentiles,  that  thou 
shouldest  be  for  salvation  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth."  Al- 
though this  is  not  irreconcilable  with  the  exclusive  Messianic 
explanation  of  the  verse  before  us,  its  agreement  with  the 
wider  explanation  is  too  striking  to  be  deemed  fortuitous. 

7.  Thus  sailh  Jehovah^  the  Redeemer  of  Israel,  his  Holy  One, 
to  the  heartily  despised,  to  the  nation  exciting  abhorrence.  The  two 
epithets  in  this  clause  are  exceedingly  obscure  and  difi&cult. 
Whom  the  7iation  abhorrcth,  who  abhorrcth  the  nation,  who  excites 
the  abhorrence  of  the  nation,  the  nation,  which  excites  abhorrence, 
all  these  are  possible  translations  of  the  Hebrew  ^ords,  among 
which  interpreters  choose  according  to  their  different  views 
respecting  the  whole  passage.  In  any  case  it  is  descriptive  of 
deep  abasement  and  general  contempt,  to  be  exchanged  here- 
after for  an  opposite  condition.  To  a  servant  of  rulers,  one  who 
has  hitherto  been  subject  to  them  but  is  now  to  receive  their 
homage  Kings  shall  see  (not  him  or  fhe?n,  but  it,  viz  that  which 
is  to  happen)  and  rise  ttj)  (as  a  token  of  respect),  princes  {shall 
see)  and  boiv  thrmselvcs.  For  the  sake  of  Jehovah  ivho  is  faithful 
(to  his  promises),  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  and  he  hath  chosen  thee, 
or  in  our  idiom  ivho  has  chosen  thee.  This  last  clause  not  only 
ascribes  the  promised  change  to  the  power  of  God,  but  represents 
it  as  intended  solely  to  promote  his  glory. 

8.  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  In  a  time  of  favour  have  I  heard  (or 
ansicered)  thee,  and  in  a  day  of  salvation  have  I  helped  thee.  The 
common  version,  an  acceptable  time,  does  not  convey  the  sense 

VOL.    II. — 10 


218  CHAPTER   XLIX. 

of  the  original,  whicli  signifies  a  suitable  or  appointed  time  for 
showing  grace  or  favour.  The  object  of  address  is  still  the 
Messiah  and  his  people,  whose  great  mission  is  again  described. 
A7id  I  will  keep  thee,  and  tvill  give  tJieefor  a  covenant  of  the  people^ 
i.  6.  of  men  in  general  (see  above,  ch.  42  :  7),  to  raise  up  the 
earth  or  world  from  its  present  state  of  ruin,  and  to  cause  to 
inherit  the  desolate  heritages,  the  moral  wastes  of  heathenism. 
There  is  allusion  to  the  division  of  the  land  by  Joshua.  Here 
again  we  have  clear  apostolical  authority  for  applying  this  de- 
scription to  the  Church,  or  people  of  God,  as  the  Body  of  which 
Christ  is  the  Head.  Paul  says  to  the  Corinthians,  "  We  then 
as  workers  together  (with  him)  beseech  you  also  that  ye  receive 
not  the  word  of  God  in  vain.  For  he  saith,  I  have  heard  thee 
in  a  time  accepted,  and  in  the  day  of  salvation  have  I  succoured 
thee."  What  follows  is  no  part  of  the  quotation  but  Paul's 
comment  on  it.  ''  Behold,  now  is  the  accepted  time  ;  behold, 
now  is  the  day  of  salvation."  (2  Cor.  6  :  2.)  This,  taken  in 
connection  with  the  citation  of  v.  6  in  Acts  13  :  47,  precludes 
the  supposition  of  an  accidental  or  unmeaning  application  of 
this  passage  to  the  people  or  ministers  of  Christ  as  well  as  to 
himself. 

9.  To  say  to  those  bound,  Come  forth  ;  to  (those)  who  (a?-e)  in 
darkness,  Be  revealed  (or  show  yourselves).  On  the  ways  (or 
roads)  they  shall  feed,  and  in  all  bare  hills  (shall  be)  their  pasture. 
There  is  here  a  change  of  figure,  the  delivered  being  repre- 
sented not  as  prisoners  or  freedmen  but  as  flocks.  Some  read 
by  the  way  or  on  their  way  homeward  ;  but  it  is  commonly 
agreed  that  the  Prophet  simply  represents  the  flock  as  finding 
pasture  even  without  going  aside  to  seek  it,  and  even  in  the 
most  unlikely  situations.  The  restriction  of  these  figures  to 
deliverance  from  Babylon,  can  seem  natural  only  to  those  who 
have  assumed  the  same  hypothesis  throughout  the  foregoing 
chapters. 


CHAPTER    XLIX.  219 

10.  They  shall  not  hunger  and  they  shall  not  thirst,  and  there 
shall  not  smite  them  mirage  and  sun  ;  for  he  that  hath  mercy  on 
them  shall  guide  them,  and  by  springs  of  water  shall  he  lead  them. 
The  image  of  a  flock  is  still  continued.  (Compare  ch.  40  :  10, 
11,  41  :  18.  43  :  19.)  i"iiu  is  tlie  same  word  that  is  now  uni- 
versally  explained  in  ch.  35  :  7  to  mean  the  mirage,  or  delusive 
appearance  of  water  in  the  desert.  For  the  true  sense  of  the 
verb  lead,  see  above,  on  ch.  40  :  11. 

1 1 .  And  I  will  place  all  my  mountains  for  the  way,  and  my 
roads  shall  ie  high.  The  image  of  a  flock  is  now  exchanged  for 
that  of  an  army  on  the  march.  My  mountains  is  by  some 
understood  to  mean  the  mountains  of  Israel ;  but  why  these 
should  be  mentioned  is  noT~easiTyexplained.  Others  with 
more  probability  explain  it  as  an  indirect  assertion  of  God's 
sovereignty  and  absolute  control,  and  more  especially  his  power 
to  remove  the  greatest  obstacles  from  the  way  of  his  people. 
The  original  expression  is  not  merely /or  a  u-ay  but /or  the  way, 
i.  e.  the  way  in  which  my  people  are  to  go.  The  word  trans- 
lated road  is  an  artificial  road  or  causeway  made  by  throwing 
up  the  earth,  which  seems  to  be  intended  by  the  verb  at  the 
close.     (Compare  the  use  o{  way,  ch.  57  :  14.) 

12.  Behold,  these  from  afar  shall  come;  and  behold,  these  from 
the  7iorth  and  from  tlie  sea,  and  these  from  the  land  of  Sinim. 
There  is  not  the  least  doubt  as  to  the  literal  translation  of  this 
verse  ;  and  yet  it  has  been  a  famous  subject  of  discordant  expo- 
sitions, all  of  which  turn  upon  the  question,  what  is  meant  by 
the  land  of  Sinim  ?  In  addition  to  the  authors  usually  cited, 
respect  will  here  be  had  to  an  interesting  monograph,  by  an 
American  Missionary  in  China,*  originally  published  in  the 
Chinese  Repository,  and  republished  in  this  country  under  the 
title  of  "  The  Land  of  Sinim,  or  an  exposition,  of  Isaiah  49  :  12, 

*  Now  understood  to  be  the  lamented  Walter  Macon  Lowrie. 


220  CHAPTER    XLIX. 

together  with  a  brief  account  of  the  Jews  and  Christians  in 
China."  (Philadelphia,  1845.)  It  is  well  said  by  this  writer, 
that  the  verse  before  us  is  the  central  point  of  the  prophetical 
discourse,  of  which  it  forms  a  part ;  inasmuch  as  it  embodies 
the  great  promise,  which  in  various  forms  is  exhibited  before 
and  afterwards.  This  relation  of  the  text  to  the  context  is  impor- 
tant, because  it  creates  a  presumption  in  favour  of  the  widest 
meaning  which  can  be  put  upon  the  terms  of  the  prediction, 
and  against  a  restricted  local  application.  A  preliminary 
question,  not  devoid  of  exegetical  importance,  is  the  question 
with  respect  to  the  mutual  relation  of  the  clauses.  The  doubt- 
ful point  is,  whether  the  first  clause  is  a  single  item  in  an  enu- 
meration of  particulars,  or  a  generic  statement,  comprehending 
the  specific  statements  of  the  other  clause.  Almost  all  inter- 
preters assume  the  former  ground  and  understand  the  verse 
as  naming  or  distinguishing  the  four  points  of  the  compass. 
But  the  other  supposition  is  ingeniously  maintained  by  the 
Missionary  in  China,  who  makes  the  first  clause  a  general  pre- 
diction that  converts  shall  come  from  the  remotest  nations, 
and  the  other  an  explanation  of  this  vague  expression,  as 
including  the  north,  the  west,  and  the  land  of  Sinim.  Upon 
this  construction  of  the  sentence,  which  is  certainly  plausible 
and  striking,  it  may  be  observed,  in  the  first  place,  that  it  is  not 
necessary  for  the  end  at  which  the  author  seems  to  aim  in 
urging  it.  This  end  appears  to  be  the  securing  of  some  proof 
that  the  specifications  of  the  second  clause  relate  to  clistayit 
countries.  But  this  conclusion  is  almost  as  obvious,  if  not 
entirely  so,  upon  the  other  supposition ;  for  if  one  of  the  four 
quarters  is  denoted  by  the  phrase/raw  afar^  the  idea  necessarily 
suggested  is  that  all  the  other  points  enumerated  are  remote 
likewise.  The  same  thing  would  moreover  be  sufiiciently  appar- 
ent from  the  whole  drift  of  the  context  as  relating  not  to  prox- 
imate or  local  changes  but  to  vast  and  universal  ones.  Nothing 
is  gained,  therefore,  even  for  the  author's  own  opinion,  by  the 


CHAPTER    XLIX.  221 

admission  of  this  new  construction.  Another  observation  is, 
that  the  authority  on  which  he  seems  to  rest  its  claims  is  incon- 
clusive, namely,  that  of  the  Hebrew  accents.  He  states  the  testi- 
mony thus  afforded  much  too  strongly,  when  he  speaks  of  '•  a 
full  stop"  after  the  clause  from  afar  they  shall  coifle,  and  points 
the  verse  accordingly.  The  accent  which  occurs  here,  as  a 
general  rule,  indicates  the  pavise  not  at  the  end  but  in  the 
middle  of  a  sentence  or  complete  proposition.  It  is  therefore 
prima  facie  proof  that  the  sentence  is  incomplete ;  and  although 
there  may  be  numerous  exceptions,  it  cannot  possibly  demon- 
strate that  the  first  clause  does  not  form  a  part  of  the  same 
series  of  particulars  which  is  concluded  in  the  second.  That 
the  first  clause  frequently  contains  what  may  be  logically  called 
an  essential  portion  of  the  second,  any  reader  may  convince 
himself  by  the  most  cursory  inspection  of  the  book  before  us; 
and  for  two  decisive  examples  in  this  very  chapter,  he  has  only 
to  examine  the  fifth  and  seventh  verses,  where  the  substitution 
of  a  "  full  stop"  would  destroy  the  sense.  But  even  if  the  tes- 
timony of  the  accents  were  still  more  explicit  and  decisive  than 
it  is,  their  comparatively  recent  date  and  their  mixed  relation 
to  rhythmical  or  musical  as  well  as  to  grammatical  and  logical 
distinctions  make  it  always  proper  to  subject  their  decision  to 
the  requisitions  of  the  text  and  context  in  themselves  con- 
sidered. Notwithstanding  the  great  value  of  the  masoretic 
accents  as  an  aid  to  interpretation,  the  appeal  must  after  all  be 
to  the  obvious  meaning  of  the  words,  or  in  default  of  this  to 
analogy  and  usage.  The  accents  leave  us  therefore  perfectly 
at  liberty  to  look  upon  the  mutual  relation  of  the  clauses  as  an 
open  question,  by  inquiring  whether  there  is  any  valid  reason 
for  departing  from  the  ancient  and  customary  supposition  that 
the  four  points  of  the  compass,  or  at  least  four  quarters  or  direc- 
tions, are  distinctly  mentioned.  This  leads  me,  in  the  third 
place,  to  observe  that  the  objection  which  the  Missionary  makes 
to  this  hypothesis,  apart  from  the  question  of  accentuation,  is 


222  CHAPTER   XL  IX. 

an  insufficient  one.  He  objects  to  the  explanation  of  the 
phrase  from  afar  as  meaning /ro?«  the  cast  (and  the  same  objec- 
tion would  by  parity  of  reasoning  apply  to  the  explanation  of 
it  as  denoting  from  the  so?/.^//),  that  afar  does  not  mean  the  east, 
and  is  not  el^where  used  to  denote  it.  But  it  is  not  said  that 
afar  means  the  cast^  but  simply  that  it  here  supplies  its  place. 
If  any  one,  in  numbering  the  points  of  the  compass,  should, 
instead  of  a  complete  enumeration,  say  the  north,  south,  east, 
and  so  on,  his  obvious  meaning  could  not  well  be  rendered 
doubtful  by  denying  that  and  so  on  ever  means  the  west.  It  is 
not  the  words  themselves,  but  the  place  which  they  occupy, 
and  their  relation  to  the  rest  of  the  sentence,  that  suggests 
rather  than  expresses  the  idea.  So  here,  the  north,  the  west,  the 
land  of  Sinim,  and  afax",  may  denote  the  four  points  of  the 
compass,  although  not  so  explicitly  as  in  the  case  supposed, 
because  in  that  before  us  we  have  not  merely  one  doubtful 
point,  but  two,  if  not  three  ;  and  also  because  the  one  most 
dubious  [from  afar)  is  not  at  the  end  like  and  so  07i,  but  at  the 
beginning.  Still  it  seems  most  natural,  when  four  distinct 
local  designations  are  given,  one  of  which  is  certainly,  another 
almost  certainly,  and  a  third  most  probably,  indicative  of  par- 
ticular quarters  or  directions,  to  conclude  that  the  fourth  is  so 
used  likewise,  however  vague  it  may  be  in  itself,  and  however 
situated  in  the  sentence.  The  presumption  thus  created  is 
confirmed  by  the  fact  that  the  hypothesis  of  only  three  divisions 
admits  that  the  whole  earth  was  meant  to  be  included  ;  and  it 
thus  becomes  a  question,  which  is  most  agreeable  to  general 
usage,  and  to  that  of  Scripture  in  particular,  a  threefold  or  a 
fourfold  distribution  of  the  earth  in  such  connections  1  If  the 
latter,  then  analogy  is  strongly  in  favor  of  the  common  suppo- 
sition that  the  first  clause  is  not  co-extensive  with  the  other, 
but  contains  the  first  of  four  particulars  enumerated.  Over 
and  above  this  argument  derived  from  the  usual  distinction  of 
four  points  or  quarters,  there  is  another  furnished  by  the  usage 


CHAPTER   XLIX.  223 

of  the  pronoun  th^se^  when  repeated  so  as  to  express  a  distribu- 
tive idea.  In  all  such  cases,  these  and  these  means  some  and 
others  ;  nor  is  there  probably  a  single  instance  in  which  the  first 
these  comprehends  the  whole,  while  the  others  divide  it  into 
parts.  This  would  be  just  as  foreign  from  the  Hebrew  idiom 
as  it  is  from  ours  to  say,  '  Some  live  in  Europe,  some  in  France, 
some  in  Holland,'  when  we  mean  that  some  live  in  Holland, 
some  in  France,  and  all  in  Europe.  From  all  this  it  seems  to 
follow  that  the  verse  most  probably  contains  the  customary 
distribution  of  the  earth  or  heavens  into  four  great  quarters, 
and  that  one  of  these  is  designated  by  the  phrase  from  afar. 
Which  one  is  so  described  can  only  be  determined  by  deter- 
mining the  true  sense  of  the  other  three.  The  Missionary  in 
China  is  therefore  perfectly  correct  in  setting  aside  all  argu- 
ments against  his  own  opinion  founded  on  the  supposition  that 
from  nfar  must  mean  the  south  or  the  east.  The  expression  is 
so  vague  that  it  must  be  determined  by  the  others,  and  cannot 
therefore  be  employed  to  determine  them,  without  reasoning  in 
a  vicious  circle.  This  serves  to  show  that  the  question  after  all 
is  of  no  great  exegetical  importance,  since  in  either  case  the 
same  conclusion  may  be  reached.  It  is  always  best,  however, 
to  adhere  to  the  more  obvious  and  usual  construction  of  a 
passage,  in  the  absence  of  decisive  reasons  for  departing  from 
it  Assuming  then  that  four  points  are  mentioned,  and  that 
the  first  {from  afar)  can  only  be  determined  by  determining  the 
others,  let  us  now  attempt  to  do  so.  One  of  these  {the  north) 
is  undisputed ;  for  although  interpreters  may  difi"er  as  to  its 
precise  bounds  and  extent,  its  relative  position  is  unquestionably 
fixed  by  the  usage  of  the  Hebrew  word.  Another  term  is  n''^, 
which  strictly  means  the  sea,  but  is  often  used  for  west,  because 
on  that  side  Palestine  is  naturally  bounded  by  the  Mediter- 
ranean. The  geographical  import  of  the  term  is  to  be  decided 
by  the  predominant  usage,  which  determines  it  to  mean  the 
west,  and  so  it  is  explained  both  by  the  oldest  and  the  latest 


224  CHAPTER   XLIX. 

writers.  Having  two  points  thus  determined,  we  are  sure  that 
the  two  which  remain  must  be  the  east  and  south ;  and  as  we 
have  already  seen  that//w«  afar  from  its  vagueness  must  receive 
but  cannot  give  light,  we  have  now  to  ascertain,  if  possible,  in 
which  of  these  directions  lay  the  land  of  Sinim.  The  discrep- 
ancy of  the  versions  as  to  these  concluding  words  is  remark- 
able, and  shows  the  doubt  in  which  the  subject  was  involved  at 
a  very  early  period.  Dismissing  these  gratuitous  conjectures, 
we  may  now  confine  ourselves  to  those  interpretations  wliich 
have  some  foundation  or  appearance  of  it  either  in  philology  or 
history.  Among  these  may  be  mentioned,  first,  the  supposition 
that  the  land  of  Sinim  is  the  country  of  the  Sinites  spoken  of  in 
Gen.  10  :  17  and  1  Chron.  1  :  15.  But  why  should  a  Canaan- 
itish  tribe  of  no  importance,  and  which  nowhere  reappears  in 
history,  be  here  made  to  represent  one  of  the  four  quarters  of 
the  globe  ?  This  question  becomes  still  more  difiicult  to  answer 
when  it  is  added  that  the  Sinites  must  have  been  immediately 
adjacent  to  the  land  of  Israel,  and  on  the  north  side  which  is 
separately  mentioned.  Others  understand  the  Land  of  Sinim 
to  be  the  wilderness  of  Sin  or  the  peninsula  of  Sinai,  and  some 
even  identify  these  with  the  country  of  the  Canaanitish  Si- 
nites. To  this  opinion  the  decisive  objection  is. not  the  one 
which  the  Missionary  in  China  draws  from  the  difi"erence  of 
name  and  from  the  plural  form  Sinim.  That  there  were  not 
two  deserts  of  Sin,  proves  no  more  in  this  case  than  the  asser- 
tion that  there  were  not  two  Hermons  proves  against  the 
application  of  tlie  plural  Ilermonim  to  that  mountain  in  Ps.  42: 
7.  If  a  mountain  might  be  so  called,  why  not  a  desert  ?  Or 
if  Hermonim  means  Hermonites,  why  may  not  Sinim  mean 
Sinites  ?  This  question  is  especially  appropriate,  because  the 
author  gives  no  explanation  of  the  plural  form,  upon  his  own 
hypothesis.  But  although  this  objection  is  invalid,  the  other 
which  the  author  urges  is  conclusive,  namely,  that  Sinai  and 
the  wilderness  of  Sin  were  too  near  and  too  limited  to  be  em- 


CHAPTER   XLIX.  225 

ployed  in  this  connection.  Another  explanation  founded  on 
analogy  of  names  is  that  the  land  of  Sinim  is  the  land  of  Egypt, 
so  called  from  Syem\  or  from  Sin^  i.  e.  Pelusium,  mentioned 
under  that  name  by  Ezekiel  (30  :  15,  16).  Here  again  it 
seems  unfair  to  argue,  with  the  Missionary  in  China,  from  the 
plural  form  of  the  Hebrew  name  ;  for  if,  as  he  observes,  it  is 
merely  fanciful  to  refer  it  to  the  old  geographical  distinction 
of  Upper  and  Lower  Egypt,  is  it  not  more  than  fanciful  to 
refer  it  to  China  where  there  is  no  such  distinction  to  account 
for  it  at  all  ?  If  it  be  said,  that  Sinim  means  the  Chinese,  it 
may  just  as  easily  be  said  that  it  means  the  Egyptians.  There 
is  no  force  therefore  in  the  argument  from  this  peculiarity  in 
form,  any  more  than  in  the  argument  which  the  Missionary  in 
China  himself  admits  to  be  here  inapplicable,  that  Egypt  was 
not  sufficiently  important  to  be  made  the  representative  of  one 
great  quarter.  As  little  weight  attaches  to  his  argument  that 
this  interpretation  of  the  name  would  make  die  distribution 
too  unequal  ;  for  as  he  adjusts  the  limits  of  the  north  and  even 
of  the  land  of  Sinim  at  discretion,  there  is  no  sufficient  reason 
why  the  same  thing  might  not  be  done  with  Sinim  if  it  did 
mean  Egypt.  The  really  decisive  ground,  assumed  by  the 
same  writer,  is  that  Egypt,  notwithstanding  its  extent  and 
historical  importance,  was  too  near  at  hand  to  suit  the  context, 
which  requires  a  remote  land  to  be  here  meant,  whether  from 
afar  be  taken  as  a  general  description  or  as  a  distinct  specifica- 
tion. Another  strong  objection  is  that  no  cause  can  be  shown, 
from  analogy  or  otherwise,  for  the  designation  of  this  well- 
known  country,  in  this  one  place  only,  by  a  name  derived  from 
one  of  its  cities,  and  that  not  of  the  first  rank.  The  only 
remaining  explanation,  which  will  be  referred  to,  is  that  the 
land  of  Sinim  is  China.  An  objection  to  this  interpretation 
has  been  drawn  from  its  resemblance  to  an  etymological  conceit 
founded  merely  on  an  assonance  of  names.  But  in  modern 
times   it  has  been  generally  adopted  not  only  by  the  most 

10* 


226  CHAPTER    XLIX. 

distinguished  writers  on  Isaiah,  but  by  the  most  eminent  com- 
parative pliilologists,  who  have  investigated  the  question  as 
one  of  historical  and  literary  interest.  The  only  plausible 
objections  which  are  still  urged  against  it  may  be  reduced  to 
two.  The  first  is  that  China  was  unknown  to  the  Jews  at  the 
date  of  the  prophecy.  To  this  it  may  be  answered,  first,  that 
no  one  who  believes  in  the  inspiration  of  the  prophets,  can 
refuse  to  admit  the  possibility  of  such  a  prediction,  even  if  the 
fact  were  so ;  and  secondly,  that  in  all  probability  China 
was  known  to  the  Jews  at  a  very  early  period.  The  rashness 
of  asserting  a  negative  in  such  cases  has  been  clearly  proved 
by  the  modern  discovery  of  porcelain  vessels  with  Chinese 
inscriptions  in  the  monuments  of  Thebes.  But  it  is  still 
objected,  that  the  name  Sinijn  is  not  that  used  by  the  Chinese 
themselves,  nor  by  other  nations  until  long  after  the  date  of 
this  prophecy,  it  having  been  derived  from  a  family  which  did 
not  ascend  the  throne  until  about  246  years  before  the  birth  of 
Christ.  It  is  remarkable  how  readily  this  date  in  Chinese 
history  is  taken  for  granted  as  undoubtedly  correct  by  those 
who  wish  to  use  it  for  an  argument,  although  it  rests  upon  a 
dark  and  dubious  tradition  of  a  distant  unknown  country ; 
although  the  very  text  before  us  makes  it  doubtful  ;  although 
the  universal  prevalence  of  the  name  Sin,  Chin,  or  Jin,  through- 
out western  and  southern  Asia  from  time  immemorial  presup- 
poses an  antiquity  still  more  remote  ;  and  although  Chinese 
historians  themselves  record  that  the  family  from  which  the 
name  derives  its  origin,  for  ages  before  it  ruled  the  empire 
ruled  a  province  or  kingdom  on  the  western  frontier,  whence 
the  name  might  easily  have  been  extended  to  the  western 
nations.  There  are  in  fact  few  cases  of  a  name  being  more 
extensively  or  longer  prevalent  than  that  of  Chhia^  the  very 
form  which  it  exhibits  in  the  Sanscrit,  the  mother  language  of 
southern  Asia.  That  the  Chinese  themselves  have  never  used 
it,  although  acquainted  with  it,  is  nothing  to  the  purpose.     A 


CHAPTER   XLIX.  227 

Hebrew  writer  would  of  course  use  the  name  familiar  in  the 
west  of  Asia.  This  universal  name  is  allowed  to  be  essentially 
identical  with  Sin  by  the  highest  philological  authorities.  There 
is  therefore  no  conclusive  force  in  either  of  the  arguments 
advanced  against  this  explanation  of  the  name.  As  positive 
reasons  on  the  other  side,  besides  the  main  one  drawn  from 
the  coincidence  of  name,  may  be  mentioned  the  agreement  of 
so  many  different  and  independent  writers,  and  the  appropri- 
ateness of  the  explanation  to  the  context.  Under  the  first 
head  may  be  classed  precisely  those  philologists  whose  peculiar 
studies  best  entitle  them  to  speak  with  authority  on  such  a 
point,  and  those  German  commentators  on  Isaiah,  who  are 
most  accustomed  to  differ  among  themselves  and  with  the  older 
writers,  especially  where  anything  is  likely  to  be  added  by  a 
proposed  interpretation  to  the  strength  of  revelation  or  rather 
to  the  clearness  of  its  evidences.  Prejudice  and  interest  would 
certainly  have  led  this  class  of  writers  to  oppose  rather  than 
favour  a  hypothesis  which  tends  to  identify  the  subject  of  this 
prophecy  with  China,  the  great  object  of  missionary  eflfort  at 
the  present  day.  The  other  confirmation  is  afforded  by  the 
suitableness  of  the  sense  thus  evolved  to  the  connection.  If 
the  land  of  Sinim  meant  the  wilderness  of  Sin  or  even  Egypt, 
it  would  be  diOicult  if  not  impossible  to  give  a  satisfactory 
solution  of  its  singular  position  here  as  one  of  the  great  quarters 
or  divisions  of  the  world.  But  if  it  mean  China,  that  extreme 
limit  of  the  eastern  world,  that  hive  of  nations,  supposed  to 
comprehend  a  third  part  of  the  human  race,  the  enigma 
explains  itself  Even  to  us  there  would  be  nothing  unintelli- 
gible or  absurd,  however  strange  or  novel,  in  the  combination, 
north,  west,  south,  and  China.  On  the  wholef,  then,  a  hypothesis 
which  solves  all  difficulties,  satisfies  the  claims  of  philology  and 
history,  unites  the  suffrages  of  the  most  independent  schools  and 
parties,  fully  meets  the  requisitions  of  the  text  and  context, 
and  opens  a  glorious  field  of  expectation  and  of  effort  to  the 


228  CHAPTERXLIX. 

church,  may  be  safely  regarded  as  the  true  one.  For  an  inter- 
esting view  of  the  extent  to  which  the  promise  has  ah-eady 
been  fulfilled,  and  of  the  encouragements  to  hope  and  pray  for 
its  entire  consummation,  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  little 
book,  of  which  we  have  so  frequently  made  mention,  although 
our  citations  have  been  necessarily  confined  to  the  first  or 
expository  chapter,  the  remaining  four  being  occupied  with  the 
fulfilment  of  the  prophecy. 

13.  Shout,  oh  heavens,  and  rejoice,  oh  earth;  let  the  mountains 
hurst  into  a  shout ;  because  Jehovah  has  comforted  his  people,  and 
on  his  sufferers  he  will  have  mercy.  This  is  a  very  common 
method  with  Isaiah  of  foretelling  any  joyful  chaage  by  sum- 
moning all  nature  to  exult  in  it  as  already  realized.  See 
especially  ch.  44  :  23.  Jehovah's  consolation  of  his  people  is 
administered  by  deed  as  well  as  by  word.  (Compare  ch. 
51  :  3,  12.  52  :  9.  66  :  13.  Luke  2  :  25,  38  )  The  consolation 
here  meant  is  the  joyful  assemblage  of  his  people  from  all  parts 
of  the  earth,  predicted  in  the  foregoing  verse.  The  Hebrew 
word  which  is  commonly  translated  in  the  English  Bible  poor, 
is  here  rendered  more  correctly  afflicted.  The  expression  his 
afflicted  intimates  at  once  their  previous  condition  and  their  in- 
timate relation  to  the  Lord  as  their  protector. 

14.  And  (yet)  Zion  said,  Jehovah  hath  forsaken  me,  a?id  the 
Lord  hath  forgotten  me.  So  far  was  this  glorious  change  from 
having  been  procured  by  confidence  in  God,  that  Zion  thought 
herself  forsaken  and  forgotten.  Those  who  restrict  these 
prophecies  to  the  Babylonish  exile  are  compelled  to  under- 
stand this  either  of  the  captive  inhabitants  of  Zion,  as  distin- 
guished from  the  other  exiles,  or  of  Jerusalem  itself,  complain- 
ing of  its  desolation.  But  the  former  distinction  is  as  arbitrary 
here  as  in  ch.  40  :  9,  and  the  long  argumentative  expostulation 
which  ensues  would  be  absurd  if  addressed  to  the  bare  walls 


CHAPTER    XL  IX.  229 

of  an  empty  town.  The  only  satisfactory  conclusion  is,  that 
Zion  or  Jerusalem  is  mentioned  as  the  capital  of  Israel,  the 
centre  of  the  true  religion,  the  earthly  residence  of  God  him- 
self, and  therefore  an  appropriate  and  natural  emblem  of  his 
chosen, people  or  the  ancient  church,  just  as  we  speak  of  the 
corruptions  or  spiritual  tyranny  of  Rome,  meaning  not  the 
city  but  the  great  ecclesiastical  society  or  corporation  which  it 
represents  and  of  which  it  is  the  centre. 

15.  Will  a  wovian  forget  her  suckling^  from  having  mrrcy 
(i.  e.  so  as  not  to  have  mercy)  on  the  son  of  her  womb  ?  Also 
(or  eveti)  these  toill  forget,  and  I  will  -not  forget  thee.  The  con- 
stancy of  God's  affection  for  his  people  is  expressed  by  the 
strongest  possible  comparison  derived  from  human  instincts. 
There  is  a  climax  in  the  thought,  if  not  in  the  expression. 
What  is  indirectly  mentioned  as  impossible  in  one  clause,  is, 
declared  to  be  real  in  the  other.  He  first  declares  that  he  can 
no  more  forget  them  than  a  woman  can  forget  her  child ;  he 
then  rises  higher  and  declares  that  he  is  still  more  mindful  of 
them  than  a  mother.  The  future  verb  at  the  beginning  im- 
plies without  expressing  a  potential  sense.  If  she  will,  she  \ 
can  ;  if  she  cannot,  then  of  course  she  will  not.  For  the  nega- 
tive use  of  the  preposition  from,  see  above,  on  eh.  44  :  18. 
There  is  no  need  of  departing  from  the  obvious  meaning  of 
the  prophet's  language,  which  is  not  hypothetical  but  cate- 
gorical. He  does  not  say  that  if  or  though  a  woman  could  for- 
get her  child  he  would  not  follow  her  example,  but  asserts 
directly  that  she  can  and  will,  and  puts  this  fact  in  contrast 
with  his  own  unwavering  constancy.  The  plural  in  the  last 
clause,  like  the  singular  in  the  first,  denotes  the  whole  class. 
He  does  not  say  that  all  mothers  thus  forget  their  children, 
nor  that  mothers  generally  do  so,  but  that  such  oblivion  is  not 
unknown  to  the  experience  of  mothers  as  a  class,  or  of  woman 
as  an  ideal  individual.     The  primitive  simplicity  with  which 


230  CHAPTER    XLIX. 

the  Hebrew  idiom  employs  the  simple  copulative  and^  where 
we  feel  the  strongest  adversative  expression  to  be  necessary, 
really  adds  to  the  force  of  the  language,  when  it  is  once  uu- 
derstood  and  familiar.  The  and  may  be  retained,  and  yet 
the  antithesis  expressed  in  English  by  supplying  yet :  and  (yet) 
I  will  not  forgive  thee. 

16.  Behold,  on  (my)  palms  I  have  graven  thee  ;  thy  walls  [are) 
before  me  continually.  The  true  sense  of  the  Prophet's  figure 
seems  to  be  the  one  expressed  by  those  who  suppose  him  to 
allude,  not  to  a  picture  or  a  plan  of  Zion,  but  to  her  name  im- 
printed on  his  hands  for  a  memorial,  as  the  ancient  slave  and 
soldier  wore  his  master's  name  but  for  a  different  purpose. 
(See  above,  on  ch.  44  :  5  )  The  use  of  the  word  palms  implies 
a  double  inscription  and  in  an  unusual  position,  chosen  with  a 
view  to  its  being  constantly  in  sight.  Thy  walls,  i.  e.  the 
image  of  thy  walls  upon  my  hands.  But  this  is  not  neces- 
sarily or  certainly  the  true  relation  of  the  clauses,  which  may 
be  considered  not  as  parts  of  the  same  image  but  as  two  dis- 
tinct images  of  one  and  the  same  thing.  The  essential  idea, 
I  will  not  forget  thee,  is  first  expressed  by  saying,  I  will  write 
thy  name  upon  my  hands,  and  then  by  saying,  I  will  keep 
thy  walls  constantly  before  me,  i.  e.  in  my  sight  and  memory. 
(See  Ps.  16  :  8.  Is.  3S  :  13.  The  mention  of  the  walls  is  no 
proof  that  Zion  is  mentioned  merely  as  a  city,  since  the  image 
of  a  city  is  the  proximate  object  here  presented,  even  if  the 
object  which  it  symbolizes  be  the  church  or  chosen  people. 

17.  Thy  sons  hasten  (to  thee)  ;  thy  destroyers  and  thy  wasters 
shall  go  out  from  thee.  This  is  the  proof  that  God  had  not  for- 
saken her.  The  true  construction,  as  in  many  other  cases, 
seems  to  be  that  which  represents  the  process  as  begun  but 
not  complete.  Already  had  her  sons  begun  to  hasten  to  her, 
and  ere  long  her  enemies  should  be  entirely  departed.     The 


CHAPTER   XLIX.  231 

natural  interpretation  of  the  last  clause  is  that  which  under- 
stands it  as  containing  simply  an  emphatic  contrast  between 
friends  and  foes,  the  latter  taking  their  departure,  and  the 
former  coming  into  possession. 

18.  Lift  up  thine  eyes  round  about  and  see,  all  of  them  are 
gathered  together^  they  are  come  to  thee.  (-4s)  /  live^  sailh  Jeho- 
vah. [I  swear)  that  all  of  them  as  an  ornament  thou  shalt  put  on, 
and  bind  (or  gird)  them  like  the  bride.  The  sons,  described  in 
V.  17  as  rapidly  approaching,  are  now  in  sight,  and  their 
mother  is  iftvited  to  survey  them,  by  lifting  up  her  eyes  round 
about,  i.  e.  in  all  directions,  with  allusion  to  their  coming  from 
the  four  points  of  the  compass,  as  predicted  in  v.  12.  The 
coHjmon  version  all  these,  seems  to  introduce  a  new  subject. 
The  strict  translation,  all  of  them,  refers  to  what  precedes,  and 
means  all  the  sons  who  are  described  in  the  first  clause  of 
V.  17  as  hastening  to  her.  They  are  now  already  gathered, 
i.  e.  met  together  at  the  point  to  which  they  tended  from  so 
many  distinct  quarters.  They  come  to  thee  is  an  inadequate 
translation.  The  true  sense  is  that  they  are  actually  come, 
i.  e.  arrived.  The  formula  of  swearing  here  used  strictly 
means,  /  (am)  alive  (or  living),  and  is  itself  equivalent  to  / 
swear  in  English.  The  sons  are  then  compared  to  ornaments 
of  dress,  which  the  mother  girds  or  binds  upon  her  person. 
As  a  bride  puts  on  her  ornaments,  so  thou  shalt  be  adorned 
with  thy  children. 

19.  For  thy  ruins,  and  thy  wastes,  and  thy  land  of  desolation 
(i.  e.  thy  desolated  land) — for  now  thou  shalt  be  too  narroio  for 
the  inhabitant,  and  far  off  shall  be  thy  devourers  (those  vs'ho  swal- 
low thee  up).  The  general  meaning  of  this  verse  is  evident, 
although  the  construction  is  obscure.  Perhaps  the  best  solu- 
tion is  the  one  which  supposes  the  construction  to  be  inter- 
rupted and  resumed  :  For  thy  wastes,  and  thy  ruins,  and  thy 


232  CHAPTER   XLIX. 

land  of  desolation — (then  beginning  anew,  without  completing 
the  first  sentence) — for  thou  shalt  be  too  narrow  ttc.  This 
mode  of  composition,  not  unlike  what  appears  in  the  first  draft 
of  any  piece  of  writing  till  obliterated  by  correction,  is  com- 
paratively frequent  in  the  ancient  writers,  not  excepting  some 
of  the  highest  classical  models,  though  proscribed  as  inelegant 
and  incorrect  by  the  fastidious  rules  of  modern  rhetoric.  For 
the  inhahitant  is  literally  from  the  inhabitant,  the  Hebrew  prep- 
osition being  here  used  as  in  1  Kings  19:7.  For  the  appli- 
cation of  the  verb  sivallow  up  to  enemies,  see  Lam.  2 :  2,  5. 
The  devourers  of  this  verse  are  of  course  the  destroyers  of  v.  1 7. 

20.  Again  (or  still)  shall  they  say  in  thine  ears,  the  sons  of  thy 
childlessness,  (Too)  narroio  for  me  is  the  place  ;  come  near  for  me, 
and  I  will  dioell  (or  that  I  may  dwell).  The  again  may  simply 
indicate  that  something  more  is  to  be  said  than  had  been  said 
before,  in  which  case  it  is  nearly  equivalent  to  over  and  above 
this  or  moreover.  Or  it  may  have  its  true  sense  as  a  particle 
of  time,  and  intimate  that  these  words  shall  be  uttered  more 
than  once,  again  and  again,  or  still,  i  e.  continually,  as  the 
necessity  becomes  more  urgent.  The  relative  position  of  the 
verb  and  its  subject  is  retained  in  the  translation,  as  it  causes 
no  obscurity,  and  exhibits  more  exactly  the  characteristic  form 
of  the  original.  By  the  sons  of  thy  childlessness  we  may  under- 
stand the  sons  of  thee  a  childless  one,  or,  thy  sons  oh  childless  one. 
The  apparent  contradiction  is  intentional,  as  appears  from 
M'hat  follows.  She  who  was  deemed  by  others,  and  who  deemed 
herself,  a  childless  mother,  hears  the  voices  of  her  children, 
complaining  that  they  have  not  a  sufficient  space  to  dwell  in. 
In  thy  ears  means  in  thy  hearing,  although  not  addressed  to 
thee.  (Compare  2  Sam.  18  :  12.)  Even  in  ch.  5:  9,  the  idea 
seems  to  be  not  merely  that  of  hearing,  but  of  overhearing. 
The  idea  of  excess  {too  narrow)  is  not  expressed  but  implied, 
the  strict  translation  being  simiplj  this,  the  placets  uarroic  for 


CHAPTER   XLIX.  233 

me.  All  interpreters  agree  that  the  first  verb  in  the  last  clause 
means  make  room  for  me.,  but  they  differ  in  explaining  how  this 
sense  may  be  extracted  from  the  Hebrew  words.  Some  ex- 
plain the  phrase  to  mean,  Come  near  to  mc.^  that  there  may  be 
more  room,  but  the  sense  thus  given  to  the  words  is  inappro- 
priate, because  the  person  speaking  demands  room  not  for 
others  but  for  himself,  which  he  could  not  possibly  secure  by 
calling  on  his  neighbour  to  come  close  to  him.  The  whole  dif- 
ficulty seems  to  have  arisen  from  assuming  that  the  preposition 
means  to,  and  denotes  the  direction  of  the  motion,  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  fact  that  it  is  never  so  used  after  this  verb,  but 
always  indicates  the  purpose  or  design.  This  usage  fully  jus- 
tifies the  explanation  of  the  phrase  before  us  as  meaning,  '  ap- 
proach to  one  side  for  me  or  on  my  account'  leaving  the  precise 
direction  of  the  motion  undetermined.  The  sense  for  me  is 
the  more  probable,  because  it  is  precisely  that  which  it  has 
in  the  first  clause  of  this  verse  and  the  first  clause  of  the 
next.  '^ 

21.  And  thou  shalt  say  in  thine  heart.,  i.  e.  to  thyself,  in  strict 
agreement  with  the  preceding  verse,  as  a  dialogue  not  between 
the  mother  and  her  children,  but  between  the  children  in  their 
mother's  hearing.  This  is  consequently  not  an  answer  to 
what  goes  before,  but  an  observation  uftered,  as  it  were,  aside 
by  an  eye  and  ear  witness  of  the  struggle  and  the  clamour  for 
more  room.  With  them  the  question  is,  where  they  shall 
dwell ;  with  her  it  is,  whence  they  came.  Who  hath  produced 
these  for  me?  As  in  other  cases  the  mother  is  said  to  bear  a 
child  to  the  father,  so  in  this  case  one  mother  may  without  ab- 
surdity be  said  to  bear  a  child  to  another,  because  in  either 
case  the  essential  idea  is  that  of  one  person  being  provided 
with  a  child  by  another,  whether  it  be  a  husband  by  his  wife, 
or  a  childless  woman  by  a  woman  who  has  children.  The  truth 
is,  however,  that  the  force  and  beauty  of  the  passage  are  ex- 


234  CHAPTER  XLIX. 

ceedingly  impaired  by  cuttiag  its  bold  figures  to  the  quick,  and 
insisting  on  a  rigorous  conformity  to  artificial  rules,  instead  of 
resting  in  the  general  conception,  so  clearly  and  affectingly 
presented,  of  a  childless  mother  finding  herself  suddenly  sur- 
rounded by  the  clamour  of  a  multitude  of  ciiildren,  and  asking 
in  amazement  whence  they  came  and  who  they  are.  The  dis- 
tinction between  father  and  mother  is  one  which  would  never 
occur  to  the  speaker  in  such  a  case,  and  may  therefore  be 
safely  overlooked  by  the  interpreter.  The  cause  of  her  aston- 
ishment is  then  assigned.  And  I  ivas  berevasd  and  barren. 
These  almost  incompatible  expressions  for  a  childless  one  are 
joined  for  the  purpose  of  expressing  that  idea  in  the  strongest 
manner,  and  with  more  regard  to  the  idea  itself  than  to  the 
rules  of  rhetorical  propriety.  An  exile  and  a  banished  one. 
The  last  word  strictly  means  removed^  i.  e.  from  home  and  from 
society.  And  these  who  brought  up  ?  literally  made  great,  as  in 
ch.  1  : 2.  Behold,  I  teas  left  alone  (or  b7/  myself)  ;  these,  where 
were  they  ?  The  pronoun  at  the  end  is  emphatic  :  "where  were 
they  ?  She  asks  how  it  is  that  she  was  so  long  desolate  and 
childless,  when  she  sees  so  many  children  round  her  now.  The 
Zion  of  this  context  is  the  ancient  church  or  chosen  people, 
represented  by  the  Sanctuary  and  the  Holy  City,  as  its  local 
centre  and  appointed  symbol.  Of  this  ideal  subject,  desola- 
tion, childlessness,  captivity,  exile,  and  the  other  varying  con- 
ditions here  described,  may  all  be  predicated  with  the  same 
propriety.  If  this,  however,  be  the  true  exegetical  hypothesis, 
and  no  other  seems  to  answer  all  the  requisitions  of  the 
case,  then  the  Babylonish  exile,  and  the  state  of  the  church 
at  that  period  of  her  history,  has  no  claim  to  be  recognized  as 
anything  more  than  a  particular  exemplification  of  the  gen- 
eral promise,  that  the  church,  after  passing  through  extreme 
depression  and  attenuation,  should  be  raised  up  and  replen- 
ished like  a  childless  mother  who  suddenly  finds  herself  sur- 
rounded by  a  large  and  joyous  family  of  children. 


CHAPTER  XLIX.  235 

22.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah^  Behold,  I  toill  lift  up  to  the 
nations  my  hand,  and  I  will  set  up  to  the  peoples  my  standard  (or 
signal) ;  and  they  icill  bring  thy  sons  in  the  bosom  (or  arms),  and 
thy  daughters  on  the  shoulders  shall  he  carried.  The  idea  ex- 
pressed by  the  figures  of  the  first  clause  is  that  of  summoning 
the  nations  to  perform  their  part  in  this  great  work.  The 
figures  themselves  are  the  same  as  in  ch.  13  :  2,  viz.  the  shaking 
or  waving  of  the  hand  and  the  erection  of  a  banner,  pole,  or 
other  signal,  with  distinct  reference  perhaps  to  persons  at  a 
distance  and  at  hand.  The  figurative  promise  would  be  veri- 
fied by  any -divine  influence  securing  the  co-operation  of  the 
heathen  in  accomplishing  Jehovah's  purpose,  whatever  might 
be  the  external  circumstances  either  of  the  call  or  their  com- 
pliance with  it.  The  effect  of  that  compliance  is  described  in 
the  last  clause,  as  the  bringing  home  of  Z ion's  sons  and 
daughters,  with  all  the  tender  care  which  is  wont  to  be  lavished 
upon  infants  by  their  parents  or  their  nurses.  The  same  im^ 
age  is  again  presented  in  ch.  60 :  4.  66:  12.  Peculiar  to  this 
case  is  the  use  of  the  word  y^n,  which  seems  most  probably  to 
signify  either  the  bosom  or  the  arm,  when  spoken  of  in  refer- 
ence to  carrying  and  especially  the  carrying  of  children. 
Strictly  perhaps  the  word  expresses  an  idea  intermediate  be- 
tween arm  and  bosom,  or  including  both,  viz.  the  space  enclosed 
by  them  in  the  act  of  grasping  or  embracing.  Those  who  re- 
strict the  promise  to  the  exiled  Jews  in  Babylon  are  under 
the  necessity  of  making  this  a  restoration,  which  is  not  only 
perfectly  gratuitous  but  inconsistent  with  the  verse  preceding, 
where  these  same  children  are  described  as  appearing  for  the 
first  time  and  thereby  exciting  the  surprise  of  the  forsaken 
mother. 

23.  And  Icings  shall  be  thy  nursing  fathers,  and  their  queens 
thy  nursing  mothers  ;  face  to  the  ground  shall  they  bow  to  thee,  and 
the  dust  of  thy  feet  shall  thmUck  ;  and  thou  shall  know  that  I 


236  CHAPTER    XLIX. 

am  Jehovah^  whose  waiters  (or  hopers,  i.  e.  those  who  trust  in 
him)  shall  not  be  ashamed  (or  disappointed).  The  same  promise 
is  repeated  in  substance  with  a  change  of  form.  Instead  of 
the  nations,  we  have  now  their  kings  and  queens  ;  and  instead 
of  Z  ion's  sons  and  daughters,  Zion  herself.  This  last  varia- 
tion, while  it  either  perplexes  or  annoys  the  rhetorical  precisian, 
aids  the  rational  interpreter  by  showing  that  the  figures  of  the 
preceding  verse,  however  natural  and  just,  are  not  to  be  rigidly 
explained.  In  other  words,  it  shows  that  between  the  Zion  of 
this  passage  and  her  childi'en  there  is  no  essential  difference, 
and  that  what  is  promised  to  the  one  is  promised  to  the  other. 
This  identity  is  clear  from  the  apparent  solecism  of  represent- 
ing the  bereaved  and  childless  mother  as  herself  an  infant  in 
the  arms  and  at  the  breast,  because  really  as  much  in  need  of 
sustenance  and  care  as  those  before  called  her  sons  and  daugh- 
ters, or  rather  because  she  is  but  another  figure  for  the  same 
thing.  This  confusion  of  imagery  all  tends  to  confirm  the 
supposition  that  the  Zion  of  these  prophecies  is  not  a  city, 
which  could  scarcely  be  thus  confounded  with  its  citizens,  but 
a  society  or  corporation,  between  which  as  an  ideal  person  and 
its  individual  members  or  any  given  portion  of  them,  there  is 
no  such  well-defined  and  palpable  distinction.  The  Hebrew 
word  to  which  the  English  Version  and  some  others  give  the 
sense  of  nourisheis,  is  now  explained  to  mean  a  carrier  or  bearer, 
which  last  name  is  applied  by  the  English  in  India  to  the 
male  nurses  of  their  children.  Some  regard  it  as  equivalent 
to  nuiSaywyog  (Gal.  3  :  24),  and  as  referring  to  a  later  period 
of  childhood  than  the  other,  which  is  properly  a  suckler  or 
wet-nurse.  But  as  there  is  nothing  in  the  text  to  suggest  the 
idea  of  succession  in  time,  they  may  be  regarded  as  poetical 
equivalents.  The  image  is  still  that  of  a  tender  infant,  with 
an  almost  imperceptible  substitution  of  the  mother  for  her 
children.  Face-to-ihe-ground  is  a  kind  of  compound  adverb 
like  our  English  phrases  sword-in-hand,  arm-in-arm,  but  still 


CHAPTER   XLIX.  237 

more  concise  in  the  original.  The  addition  of  these  words 
determines  the  meaning  of  the  preceding  verb'  as  denoting 
actual  prostration,  which  is  also  clear  from  the  next  clause, 
where  the  licking  of  the  dust  cannot  be  naturally  understood 
as  a  strong  expression  for  the  kissing  of  the  feet  or  of  the 
earth  in  token  of  homage,  but  is  rather  like  the  biting  of  the 
dust  in  Homer,  a  poetical  description  of  complete  and  compul- 
sory prostration,  not  merely  that  of  subjects  to  their  sovereign, 
but  of  vanquished  enemies  before  their  conquerors.  (Compare 
Mic.  7:  17.  Ps.  72:9.) 

24.  'Shall  the  prey  be  taken  from  the  mighty^  and  shall  the  cap- 
tivity  of  the  righteous  be  deliirred  ?  This  verse  suggests  a  diffi- 
culty in  the  way  of  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise.  The  words 
here  translated  prey  and  captivity  are  combined  likewise  else- 
where to  describe  whatever  can  be  taken  in  war,  including 
prisoners  and  booty.  (Num.  31:11,  12,  27,  32.)^  The  latter, 
thoj^gh  properly  an  abstract,  is  continually  used  as  a  collective 
term  for  captives.  Its  combination  here  with  righteousness  has 
perplexed  interpreters.  The  English  Version  gives  it  the 
sense  of  lauful  captive,  i.  e.  one  who  has  been  lawfully  enslaved, 
or  one  who  deserves  to  be  a  captive.  The  simplest  and  most 
obvious  construction  of  the  words  is  that  which  makes  them 
mean  the  captives  of  a  righteous  conqueror.  The  argument 
may  then  be  stated  thus  :  Shall  the  captives  even  of  a  righteous 
conqueror  be  freed  in  such  a  case  ?  How  much  more  the 
captives  of  an  unjust  oppressor  ! 

25.  For  thus  sailh  Jehovah,  also  (or  even)  the  captivity  (or 
captives)  of  tJie  mighty  shall  be  taken,  and  the  prey  of  the  terrible 
shall  be  delivered,  and  toith  thy  strivers  will  I  strive,  and  thy  sons 
will  I  save.  Shall  the  captives  of  the  righteous  be  delivered  ? 
Yes,  and  more  ;  for  thus  saith  Jehovah,  not  only  this  but  also 
the  captives  of  the  tyrant  or  oppressor.     The  logical  connection 


238  CHAPTER   XLIX. 

between  this  verse  and  the  one  before  it  has  been  already 
stated.  Its  general  sense  is  clear,  as  a  solemn  declaration  that 
the  power  of  the  captor  can  oppose  no  real  obstacle  to  the  fulfil- 
ment of  the  promise  of  deliverance.  The  same  idea  is  expressed 
in  the  last  clause  in  more  general  and  literal  terms. 

26.  Aiicl  I  ivill  make  thy  oppressors  cat  their  (own)  Jlesh,  and 
as  with  new  winc^  tvith  their  blood  shall  they  be  drunken  ;  and  all 
Jicsh  shall  know,  that  /,  Jehovah,  am  thy  Saviour,  and  [that) 
thy  Redeemer  is  the  Mighty  One  of  Jacob.  The  first  clause  is 
commonly  explained  as  a  strong  metaphorical  description  of 
intestine  wars  and  mutual  destruction,  similar  to  that  in  Zech. 
11:9.  In  this  case,  however,  as  in  ch.  9  :  19,  the  image  is 
perhaps  rather  that  of  a  person  devouring  his  own  flesh  in  im- 
potent and  desperate  rage.  The  last  clause  winds  up  this 
part  of  the  prophecy  by  the  usual  return  to  the  great  theme 
of  the  whole  book,  the  relation  of  Jehovah  to  his  people,  as  their 
Saviour,  Redeemer,  and  Protector,  self-existent,  eternal,. and 
almighty  in  himself,  yet  condescending  to  be  called  the  Mighty 
One  of  Jacob.  The  last  words  may  be  construed  as  a  single 
proposition, '  that  I  am  Jehovah  thy  Saviour  and  thy  Redeemer 
the  Mighty  One  of  Jacob.'  This  will  be  found  upon  compar- 
ison, however,  to  express  much  less  than  the  construction  above 
given,  which  asserts  not  only  that  the  speaker  is  Jehovah  etc. 
but  that  the  Being  who  possesses  these  attributes  is  the 
peculiar  covenanted  God  of  Israel  or  Jacob.  For  the  different 
epithets  of  this  clause,  see  above,  ch.  1  :  24.  41  :  14.  43  :  3. 
For  a  similar  statement  of  the  purpose  of  God's  providential 
dealings  with  his  people,  see  ch.  45  :  3,  and  v.  23  of  this  same 
chapter. 


• 

CHAPTER    L.  239 


CHAPTER    L. 


This  chapter  contains  no  entirely  new  element,  but  a  fresh 
view  of  several  which  have  already  been  repeatedly  exhibited. 
The  first  of  these  is  the  great  truth,  that  the  sufi"erings  of  God's 
people  are  the  necessary  fruit  of  their  own  sins,  vs.  1.  The 
second  is  the  power  of  Jehovah  to  accomplish  their  deliverance, 
vs.  2,  3.  The  third  is  the  Servant  of  Jehovah,  his  mission,  his 
qualifications  for  it,  his  endurance  of  reproach  and  opposition 
on  account  of  it,  vs.  4-9.  The  fourth  is  the  way  of  salvation 
and  the  certain  doom  of  those  who  neglect  it,  vs.  10,  11. 

This  perpetual  recurrence  of  the  same  great  themes  in  various 
corfibinatious  makes  the  mere  division  of  the  chapters  a  com- 
paratively unimportant  matter,  although  some  writers  seem  to 
attach  great  importance  to  the  separation  of  the  first  three 
verses  from  what  follows,  and  their  intimate  connection  with 
what  goes  before.  It  should  be  ever  borne  in  mind  that  these 
divisions  are  conventional  and  modern,  and  that  in  this  part  of 
Isaiah  more  especially  they  might  have  been  omitted  altogether 
without  any  serious  inconvenience  to  the  reader  or  interpreter. 
A  much  greater  evil  than  the  want  of  these  divisions  is  the 
habit  of  ascribing  to  them  undue  authority  and  suffering  the 
exposition  to  be  governed  by  them,  as  if  each  were  a  separate 
prediction  or  discourse,  instead  of  being  arbitrary  though  con- 
venient breaks  in  a  continued  composition,  not  materially  differ- 
ing from  the  paragraphs  now  used  in  every  modern  book.  The 
re-arrangement  of  the  chapters  in  the  present  case  would 
answer  no  good  purpose,  since  the  first  three  verses  are  not 
move  closely  connected  with  the  #nd  of  the  preceding  chapter 
than  what  follows  is  with  its  beginning.  The  true  course  is 
to  make  use  of  the  common  divisions  as  convenient  pauses,  but 
to  read  and  expound  the  text  as  one  continuous  discourse. 


240  CHAPTER    L. 

1.  This  saith  Jehovah.  This  prefatory  formula  has  no  doubt 
had  some  influence  on  the  division  of  the  chapters.  It  does 
not,  however,  always  indicate  the  introduction  of  a  new  subject, 
as  may  be  seen  by  a  comparison  of  ch.  48  :  17  with  ch.  49  :  1. 
Where  is  or  what  is  ?  The  bill  of  divorcement,  literally,  writing 
of  excision  or  repudiation,  translated  in  the  Septuagint  ^i^Uot> 
rod  (xnoaTuolov,  which  form  is  retained  in  the  New  Testament 
(Matt.  19:7.  Mark  10:4)  though  sometimes  abridged  (Matt. 
5  ;  31).  The  Hebrew  phrase  denotes  the  legal  instrument 
by  which  the  Mosaic  law  allowed  a  husband  to  repudiate  his 
wife  (Deut.  24  :  1-3).  Of  your  mother .  The  persons  addressed 
are  the  individual  members  of  the  church  or  nation  ;  their 
mother  is  the  church  or  nation  itself  These  are  of  course 
distinguished  from  each  other  only  by  a  poetical  figure.      Whom 

1  have  sent  (or  fut)  away.  These  words  admit  of  a  twofold  con- 
struction. According  to  the  common  Hebrew  idiom,  the  rela- 
tive pronoun,  when  the  object  of  a  verb,  is  followed  by  the 
personal  pronoun  which  it  represents.  According  to  this 
idiom,  lohom  I  have  sent  her.,  means  nothing  more  that  whom  I 
have  scjit,  except  that  it  more  distinctly  indicates  the  gender 
of  the  object.  This  construction  is  recommended  here,  not 
only  by  its  strict  conformity  to  general  usage,  but  by  its  recur- 
rence in  the  very  next  clause,  where  the  Hebrew  words  are 
agreed  on  all  hands  to  mean  to  whom  I  sold  you.  But  as  the 
verb  to  send  governs  two  accusatives  in  Hebrew,  the  relative 
may  take  the  place  of  one  of  them,  denoting  the  end  for  which 
or  the  means  by  which,  as  it  actually  does  in   ch.    55  :  1 1. 

2  Sam.  1 1  :  22.  1  Kings  14:6,  and  in  the  case  before  us,  accord- 
ing to  the  judgment  of  most  modern  writers,  who  explain  the 
words  to  mean  wherewith  I  have  sent  her  aioay.  The  use  of  the 
disjunctive  or  in  Hebrew  #9  comparatively  rare,  and  conse- 
quently more  significant  when  it  does  occur,  as  in  this  case, 
where  it  seems  designed  to  intimate  that  the  two  figures  of  the 
clause  are  to  be  taken  separately,  not  together,  that  is  to  say, 


CHAPTER    L.  241 

that  the  punishment  of  the  people  is  not  compared  to  the  repu- 
diation of  a  wife  and  the  sale  of  her  children  in  the  same  ideal 
case,  but  represented  by  the  two  distinct  emblems  of  a  wife 
divorced  and  children  sold.  Or  lohlch  of  my  creditors  (is  it) 
to  ichovi  I  have  sold  you  ?  We  have  here  an  allusion  to 
another  provision  of  the  Mosaic  law,  which  allows  debtors  to 
be  sold  in  payment  of  their  debts  (Matt.  18  :  25),  and  even 
children  by  their  parents  (Exod.  21  :  7).  The  answer  follows 
in  the  other  clause.  Behold,  for  your  iniqidties  ye  have  been  soH. 
The  reflexive  meaning,  ye  have  sold  yourselves,  is  frequently 
expressed  by  this  form  of  the  verb,  but  not  invariably  nor  even 
commonly  ;  it  is  not,  therefore,  necessary  here,  nor  even 
favoured  by  the  parallelism,  as  the  corresponding  term  is  a 
simple  passive  of  a  diiferent  form,  and  one  which  cannot,  from 
the  nature  of  the  case,  denote  a  reflexive  or  reciprocal  action. 
And  for  your  transgressions,  your  mother  has  been  sent  (or  fut) 
away.  The  repetition  of  your,  where  her  transgressions  might 
have  been  expected,  only  serves  to  show  more  cl^rly  the  real 
identity  of  those  who  are  formally  distinguished  as  the  mother 
and  the  children.  The  interrogation  in  the  first  clause  of  this 
verse  has  been  variously  understood.  The  simplest  and  most 
obvious  interpretation  of  the  first  clause  is  the  one  suggested 
by  the  second,  which  evidently  stands  related  to  it  as  an  answer 
to  the  question  which  occasions  it.  In  the  present  case,  the 
answer  is  wholly  unambiguous,  viz.  that  they  were  sold  for  their 
sins,  and  that  she  was  put  away  for  their  transgressions.  The 
question  naturally  corresponding  to  this  answer  is  the  question, 
why  the  mother  was  divorced,  and  why  the  sons  were  sold. 
Supposing  this  to  be  the  substance  of  the  first  clause,  its  form 
is  very  easily  accounted  for.  Where  is  your  mother^s  bill  of 
divorcement  ?  produce  it  that  we  may  see  the  cause  of  her  repu- 
diation. Where  is  the  creditor  to  whom  I  sold  you  ?  let  him 
appear  and  tell  us  what  was  the  occasion  of  your  being  sold. 
The  general  idea  of  rejection  is  twice  clothed  in  a  figurative 
VOL.  II, — 11 


242  CHAPTER    L. 

dress,  first  by  emblems  borrowed  from  the  law  and  custom  of 
divorce,  and  then  by  emblems  borrowed  from  the  law  and 
custom  of  imprisonment  for  debt.  The  restriction  of  this 
passage  to  the  Babylonish  exile  is  entirely  arbitrary.  If  it 
admits  of  any  special  application,  it  is  rather  to  the  repudiation 
of  the  Jewish  people  at  the  Advent. 

2.  Why  did  I  come,  and  there  ivas  no  man  ?  {lohy)  did  I  call, 
and  there  was  no  one  answering  ?  The  idiom  of  occidental  lan- 
guages would  here  admit,  if  not  require,  a  more  involved  and 
hypothetical  construction.  '  Why,  when  I  came,  was  there  no 
one  (to  receive  me),  and,  when  I  called,  no  one  to  answer  me? 
(See  above,  eh.  5  :  4.)  In  themselves,  the  words  imply  nothing 
more  than  that  God  had  come  near  to  the  people,  by  his  word 
and  providence,  but  without  any  suitable  response  on  their 
part.  The  clause  is  explanatory  of  their  being  sold  and  put 
away,  as  represented  in  the  foregoing  verse.  The  general 
truth  which  it  teaches  is,  that  God  has  never  and  will  never 
put  away  his  people  even  for  a  time  without  preceding  disobe- 
dience and  alienation  upon  their  part.  Particular  examples 
of  this  general  truth  are  furnished  by  the  Babylonish  exile  and 
by  every  season  of  distress  and  persecution.  The  other  clause 
precludes  the  vindication  of  their  unbelief  and  disobedience  on 
the  ground  that  they  had  not  sufficient  reason  to  obey  his  com- 
mands and  rely  upon  his  promises.  Such  doubts  are  rendered 
impious  *and  foolish  by  the  proofs  of  his  almighty  power.  This 
power  is  first  asserted  indirectly  by  a  question  implying  the 
strongest  negation :  Is  my  hand  shortened,  shortened,  from  re- 
demption ?  and  is  there  loith  me  no  power  (i.  e.  have  I  no  power) 
to  deliver  ?  Shortness  of  hand  or  arm  is  a  common  oriental 
figure  for  defect  of  power,  especially  in  reference  to  some 
particular  eflfect,  which  is  thus  represented  as  beyond  the 
reach.  (See  ch.  59  :  1.  Num.  11  :  23.  ch.  37  :  17.)  According 
to  Gesenius,  Artaxerxes   Longimanus  was  so  called,   not   in 


CHAPTER    L.  243 

reference  to  any  corporeal  peculiarity,  but  as  being  possessed 
of  extraordinary  power.  The  emphatic  repetition  of  the 
Hebrew  verb  may,  as  usual,  be  variously  expressed  in  trans- 
lation by  the  introduction  of  intensive  phrases,  such  as  altogether 
or  at  all,  or  by  a  simple  repetition  of  the  verb  in  English.  Front 
redemption,  i.  e.  so  as  not  to  redeem  or  deliver  from  distress. 
(See  above,  on  ch.  49  :  15.)  Behold,  by  my  rebuke  (a  term  often 
used  to  express  God's  control  over  the  elements)  /  will  dry  up 
the  sea.  I  can  make  a  complete  change  in  the  face  of  nature. 
Most  of  the  modern  writers  use  the  present  form,  I  dry  up  the 
sea.  But  this,  as  expressing  an  habitual  fact,  fails  to  give  the 
sense  of  the  original,  which  is  not  a  description  of  what  he 
usually  does,  but  a  declaration  of  what  he  can  do  and  what  he 
will  do  in  the  present  instance  if  it  should  be  necessary.  Hence 
the  best  translation  of  the  verb  is  the  exact  one  which  adheres 
to  the  strict  sense  of  the  future.  As  in  many  other  cases,  this 
general  expression  may  involve  a  particular  allusion,  namely, 
to  the  crossing  of  the  Red  Sea  at  the  exodus  from  Egypt.  But 
to  make  this  the  direct  and  main  sense  of  the  words,  is 
equally  at  variance  with  good  taste  and  the  context.  The 
remaining  words  of  this  verse  are  intended  merely  to  complete 
the  picture,  by  subjoining  to  the  cause  its  natural  effect.  Let 
their  fish  stink  for  ivant  of  water  and  die  of  thirst.  It  seems 
that  the  writer  here  passes  from  the  tone  of  prediction  or  general 
description  to  that  of  actual  command.  It  may  however  be  a 
poetical  variation  of  the  ordinary  future  form,  in  which  case  the 
sense  will  be.  their  fish  shall  die  etc.  ;  or  it  may  indicate  an 
indirect  or  oblique  construction,  50  that  their  fish  shall  stink  etc., 
which  last  explanation  is  the  one  preferred  by  the  latest  writers. 
The  pronoun  their  refers  to  sea  and  rivers,  or  to  the  last  alone. 

3.  The  description  of  Jehovah's  power,  as  displayed  in  his 
control  of  the  elements,  is  still  continued.  /  xoill  clothe  the 
heavens  in   blackness.      The    Hebrew  noun,  according  to   its 


244  CHAPTER    L. 

etymology,  denotes  not  merely  a  black  colour,  but  such  a  colour 
used  as  a  sign  of  mourning.  Thus  understood,  it  corresponds 
exactly  to  the  following  words,  where  the  customary  mourning 
dress  of  ancient  times  is  mentioned.  And  sackcloth  I  icill 
place  (or  make)  their  covering.  The  reference  of  this  verse  to 
the  plague  of  darkness  in  the  land  of  Egypt  is  admissible  only 
in  the  sense  explained  above  with  respect  to  the  passage  of  the 
Eed  Sea,  namely,  as  a  particular  allusion  comprehended  in  a 
general  description.  Some  writers  understand  it  as  referring 
to  the  usual  phenomena  of  storms,  or  even  to  the  obscuration 
of  the  sky  by  clouds  ;  but  it  is  inconceivable  that  such  an 
every-day  occurrence  should  be  coupled  with  the  drying  up  of 
seas  and  rivers,  as  a  proof  of  God's  power  over  nature  and  the 
elements.  The  sense  required  by  the  connection  is  that  of  an 
extraordinary  darkness  (such  as  that  of  an  eclipse),  or  even  an 
extinction  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  as  in  ch.  13  :  10. 

« 
4.  The  Lord  Jehovah  hath  given  to  me.  As  Jehovah  is  the 
speaker  in  the  foregoing  verse,  many  regard  this  clause  as  a 
proof  that  these  are  the  words  of  the  Messiah,  who,  in  virtue 
of  his  twofold  nature,  might  speak  in  the  person  of  Jehovah, 
and  yet  say,  Jehovah  hath  given  to  ?«''.  The  true  hypothesis  is 
still  the  same  which  we  have  found  ourselves  constrained  to 
assume  in  all  like  cases  throughout  the  foregoing  chapters, 
namely,  that  the  servant  of  Jehovah.,  as  he  calls  himself  in  v.  10 
below,  is  the  Messiah  and  his  People  as  a  complex  person,  or 
the  Church  in  indissoluble  union  with  its  Head,  asserting  his 
divine  commission  and  authority  to  act  as  the  great  teacher 
and  enlightener  of  the  world.  For  this  end  God  had  given 
him  a  ready  tongue  or  speech.  Most  interpreters  adopt  a  dif- 
ferent version  of  d^'isiab  in  the  first  and  last  clause,  giving  it 
at  first  the  sense  of  learned.,  and  afterwards  that  of  learriers. 
These  two  ideas,  it  is  true,  are  near  akin,  and  may  be  blended 
in  the  Hebrew  word  as  they  are  in  the  English  scholar,  which 


CHAPTER    L.  245 

is  used  both  for  a  learner  and  a  learned  person.  It  is  best, 
however,  for  that  very  reason,  to  retain  the  same  word  in  trans- 
lation. As  applied  to  Christ,  this  passage  is  descriptive  of 
that  power  of  conviction  and  persuasion  which  is  frequently 
ascribed  in  the  New  Testament  to  his  oral  teaching.  As  his 
representative  and  instrument,  the  Church  has  always  had  a 
measure  of  the  same  gift  enabling  her  to  execute  her  high 
vocation.  To  know  (that  I  might  know)  to  help  or  succour  the 
weary  (loith)  a  word.  He  u-ill  waken.,  in  the  vior7nn;^,  in  the 
morning,  he  will  ivaken  for  mc  the  ear,  i.  e.  he  will  waken  my 
ear,  rouse -my  attention,  and  open  my  mind  to  the  reception  of 
the  truth.  (See  ch.  4S  :  8.  1  Sam.  9  :  15.  20  :  2.  Ps.  41:7.) 
The  present  tense  {he  ^vakeneth)  asserts  a  claim  to  constant  in- 
spiration ;  the  future  expresses  a  confident  belief  that  God 
will  assist  and  inspire  him.  The  accents  require  in  the  morn- 
ing in  the  morning  to  be  read  together,  as  in  ch.  28  :  19,  where 
it  is  an  intensive  repetition  meaning  every  morning.  It  might 
otherwise  be  thought  more  natural  to  read  the  sentence  thus, 
he  trill  loaken  in  the  morning,  in  the  morning  he  will  waken,  a 
twofold  expression  of  the  same  idea,  viz.  that  he  will  do  so 
early.  In  either  case  the  object  of  both  verbs  is  the  same ; 
the  introduction  of  the  pronoun  7nc  after  the  first  in  the  Eng- 
lish Version  being  needless  and  hurtful  to  the  sentence.  The 
last  words  of  the  verse  declare  the  end  or  purpose  of  this 
wakening,  to  hear  (i.  e.  that  I  may  hear)  like  the  disciples  or  the 
taught,  i.  e.  that  I  may  ^ive  attention  as  a  learner  listens  to 
his  teacher. 

5.  The  Lord  Jehovah  opened  for  me  the  ear,  and  I  resisted  not. 
The  common  version,  /  tvas  not  rebellious,  seems  to  convert  the 
description  of  an  act  into  that  of  a  habit.  I  did  not  draw  back, 
or  refuse  the  of&ce,  on  account  of  the  hardships  by  which  I 
foresaw  that  it  would  be  accompanied.  There  may  be  an  allu- 
sion to  the  conduct  of  Moses  (4:  13)  in  declining  the  danger- 


246  CHAPTER  L. 

ous  but  honourable  work  to  which  the  Lord  had  called  him. 
(Compare  Jer.  1  :  6.  17  :  16.) 

6.  My  back  I  gave  to  [those)  smiting.  We  may  understand 
by  gave  either  yielded  unresistingly  or  offered  voluntarily. 
(Compare  Matt.  5  :  39.)  The  punishment  of  scourging  was 
a  common  one,  and  is  particularly  mentioned  in  the  history  of 
our  Lord's  maltreatment.  And  my  cheeks  to  [those)  plucking 
(the  beard  or  hair).  The  context  here  requires  something 
more  than  the  playful  or  even  the  contemptuous  pulling  of  the 
beard,  the  vellere  barbam  of  Horace  and  Persius,  to  which 
some  writers  have  referred.  A  better  parallel  is  Neh.  13  :  25, 
where  the  Tirshatha  is  said  to  have  contended  with  the  Jews, 
and  cursed  them,  and  smote  them,  and  plucked  off  their  hair. 
(Compare  Ezra  9 :  3.)  This  particular  species  of  abuse  is  not 
recorded  in  the  history  of  our  Saviour's  suflferings,  but  some 
suppose  it  to  be  comprehended  in  the  general  term  buffeting. 
]My  face  I  did  not  hide  from  shame  and  spitting.  In  the  phrase 
I  did  not  hide  my  face  there  may  be  an  allusion  to  the  common 
figure  of  confusion  covering  the  face  (Jer.  51  :  51),  in  reference 
no  doubt  to  the  natural  expression  of  this  feeling  by  a  blush, 
or  in  extreme  cases  by  a  livid  paleness  overspreading  the 
features.  Some  have  imagined  that  by  spitting  nothing  more 
is  meant  than  spitting  on  the  ground  in  one's  presence,  which, 
according  to  the  oriental  usages  and  feelings,  is  a  strong  ex- 
pression of  abhorrence  and  contempt.  But  if  spitting  in  a 
person's  presence  was  such  an  indignity,  how  much  more  spit- 
ting in  his  face  ;  and  the  whole  connection  shows  that  the 
reference  is  not  to  any  mitigated  form  of  insult  but  to  its  ex- 
treme. That  this  part  of  the  description  was  fulfilled  in  the 
experience  of  our  Saviour,  is  expressly  recorded,  Matt.  26  :  67. 
27  :  30.  From  the  impossibility  of  proving  any  literal  coinci- 
dence between  the  prophetic  description  and  the  personal  ex- 
perience of  the  Prophet  himself,  when  taken  in  connection  with 


CHAPTER    L.  247 

the  palpable  coincidences  which  have  been  already  pointed  out 
in  the  experience  of  Jesus  Christ,  many  interpreters  infer  that 
it  was  meant  to  be  a  literal  prediction  of  his  sufferings.  But 
it  has  been  observed  that  if  it  were  so,  its  fulfilment,  or  the 
record  of  it,  would  be  imperfect,  since  the  points  of  agreement 
are  not  fully  commensurate  with  those  of  the  description. 
(See  for  example  what  has  been  already  said  with  respect  to 
the  plucking  of  the  beard  or  hair.)  The  most  satisfactory 
solution  of  the  difficulty  is  the  one  which  regards  the  prophecy 
as  metaphorical,  and  as  denoting  ci'uel  and  contemptuous  treat- 
ment in  general,  and  supposes  the  literal  coincidences,  as  in 
many  other  cases,  to  have  been  providentially  secured,  not 
merely  to  convict  the  Jews,  but  also  to  identify  to  others  the 
great  subject  of  the  prophecy.  But  if  the  prophecy  itself  be 
metaphorical,  it  may  apply  to  other  subjects,  less  completely 
and  remarkably  but  no  less  really  ;  not  to  Isaiah,  it  is  true, 
fi-om  whom  its  terms,  even  figuratively  understood, are  foreign,- 
but  to  the  church  or  people  of  God,  the  body  0f  Christ,  which 
like  its  head  has  ever  been  an  object  of  contempt  with  those 
who  did  not  understand  its  character  or  recognize  its  claims. 
What  is  literally  true  of  the  Head  is  metaphorically  true  of 
the  Body.  '  I  gave  my  back  to  the  smiters  and  my  cheeks  to 
the  pluckers,  my  face  I  did  not  hide  from  shame  and  spitting.' 

7.  And  the  Lord  Jehovah  will  help  me,  or  afford  help  to  me. 
Thcrrfore  I  am  not  confounded  by  the  persecution  and  contempt 
described  in  the  foregoing  verses.  The  common  version,  / 
shall  not  be  confounded,  is  not  only  arbitrary  but  injurious  to 
the  sense,  which  is  not  that  God's  protection  will  save  him 
from  future  shame,  but  that  the  hope  of  it  saves  him  even  now. 
The  words  strictly  mean  /  have  7iot  been  confounded,  which  im- 
plies of  course  that  he  is  not  so  now.  Therefore  I  have  set  my 
face  as  afli7it.  This  is  a  common  description  of  firmness  and 
determination,  as  expressed  in  the  countenance.     It  is  equally 


248  CHAPTER    L. 

applicable  to  a  wicked  impudence  (Jer.  5  ;  3.  Zech.  7:12)  and 
a  holy  resolution  (Ez'ek.  3  :  8,  9).  The  same  thing  is  expressed 
by  Jeremiah  under  different  but  kindred  figures  (Jer.  I  :  17, 
18.  15:20.)  It  is  probable  that  Luke  alludes  to  these  pas- 
sages, when  he  says  that  our  Lord  steadfastly  set  his  face  (to 
TXQoaianov  aiiov  ^aiTJ^tlf)  to  go  to  Jerusalem  (Luke  9  :  51.) 
And  I  know  that  I  shall  not- be  ashamed. 

8.  iVbar  (is)  w;.?/yas/z)?ie?- (or  the  one  justifying  me).  This  is 
strictly  a  forensic  term  meaning  to  acquit  or  pronounce  inno- 
cent, in  ease  of  accusation,  and  to  right  or  do  justice  to.  in 
case  of  civil  controversy.  The  use  of  this  word  and  of  several 
correlative  expressions,  maybe  clearly  learned  from  Deut.  25  :  1. 
The  justifier  is  of  course  Jehovah.  His  being  riear  is  not  in- 
tended to  denote  the  proximity  of  an  event  still  future,  but  to 
describe  his  intervention  as  constantly  within  reach  and  avail- 
able. It  is  not  the  justification  which  is  said  to  be  near  to  the 
time  of  speaking,  but  the  justifier  who  is  said  to  be  near  the 
speaker  himself  The  justification  of  his  servant  is  the  full 
vindication  of  his  claims  to  divine  authority  and  inspiration. 
At  the  same  time  there  is  a  designed  coincidence  between  the 
terms  of  the  prediction  and  the  issue  of  our  Saviour's  trial ; 
but  the  prophecy  is  not  to  be  restricted  to  this  object.  The 
general  meaning  of  the  words  is,  all  this  reproach  is  un- 
deserved, as  will  be  seen  hereafter.  Since  God  himself  has  un- 
dertaken his  defence,  the  accuser's  case  is  hopeless.  He  there- 
fore asks  triumphantly.  Who  will  contend  with  me  ?  The  He- 
brew verb  denotes  specifically  litigation  or  forensic  strife. 
Rom.  8  :  33,  34,  is  an  obvious  imitation  of  this  passage  as  to 
form.  But  even  the  warmest  advocates  for  letting  the  New  Tes- 
tament explain  the  Old,  are  forced  to  acknowledge  that  in  this 
case  Paul  merely  borrows  his  expressions  from  the  Prophet, 
and  applies  them  to  a  different  object.  In  any  other  case  this 
class  of  writers  would  no  doubt  have   insisted  that  the  justi- 


CHAPTER  L.  249 

fier  must  he  Christ  and  the  justified  his  people  ;  but  from  this 
they  are  precluded  by  their  own  assumption,  that  the  Messiah 
is  the  speaker.  Both  hypotheses,  so  far  as  they  liave  any  just 
foundation,  may  be  reconciled  by  the  supposition  that  the  ideal 
speaker  is  the  Body  and  the  Head  in  union.  In  the  sense 
here  intended,  Christ  is  justified  by  the  Father,  and  at  the 
same  time  justifies  his  people.  We  loill  stand  (or  Id  us  stand) 
together^  at  the  bar,  before  the  judgment-seat,  a  frequent  ap- 
jilication  of  the  Hebrew  verb.  (See  Num.  27  :  2.  Deut.-  19  :  17. 
1  Kings  3  :  16.)  This  is  an  indirect  defiance  or  ironical  chal- 
lenge ;  as  if  he  had  said,  If  any  will  still  venture  to  accuse 
me,  let  us  stand  up  together.  The  same  thing  is  then  expressed 
in  other  words,  the  form  of  interrogation  and  proposal  being 
still  retained.  Who  is  my  adversary  ?  This  is  more  literally 
rendered  in  the  margin  of  the  English  Bible,  who  is  the  master 
of  my  cause?  But  even  this  fails  to  convey  the  precise  sense 
of  the  original,  and  may  be  even  said  to  reverse  it,  for  the 
master  of  my  cause  seems  to  imply  ascendency  or  better  right, 
and  is  not  therefore  applicable  to  a  vanquished  adversary 
whose  case  was  just  before  described  as  hopeless.  The  truth 
is  that  the  pronoun  my  belongs  not  to  the  last  word  merely 
but  to  the  whole  complex  phrase,  and  b>3  simply  means  '  pos- 
sessor,' i.  e.  one  to  whom  a  given  thing  belongs.  Thus  a  cause- 
master  means  one  who  has  a  cause  or  lawsuit,  a  party  litigant ; 
and  my  cause-master  means  one  who  has  a  controversy  with  me, 
my  opponent  or  adversary ;  so  that  the  common  version  really 
conveys  the  meaning  better  than  what  seems  to  be  the  more 
exact  translation  of  the  margin.  In  sense,  the  question  is 
precisely  parallel  and  tantamount  to  the  one  before  it,  who  will 
contend  with  me  ?  Let  him  draw  near  to  me.,  confront  me,  or  en- 
gage in  conflict  with  me.  The  forensic  figures  of  this  verse, 
and  some  of  its  expressions,  have  repeatedly  occurred  in  the 
course  of  the  preceding  chapters.  (See  ch.  41  :  1,  21.  43  :  9, 26. 
45:20.  48:  14,  16.) 

II* 


250  CHAPTER    L. 

9.  Behold,  the  Lord  Jehovah  will  help  me ;  tvho  {is)  he  {that) 
will  condemn  me?  The  help  specifically  meant  is  that  afforded 
by  an  advocate  or  judge  to  an  injured  party.  The  potential 
meaning  {caii  condemn)  is  included  in  the  future  {ivill  condemn), 
though  not  directly  much  less  exclusively  expressed  by  it. 
The  last  clause  adds  to  the  assurance  of  his  own  safety  that 
of  the  destruction  of  his  enemies.  All  they  (or  all  of  them,  his 
adversaries,  not  expressly  mentioned  but  referred  to  in  the 
questions  which  precede)  like  the  garment  shall  grow  old  (or  be 
worn  out),  i.  e.  like  the  garment  which  is  worn  out  or  decays. 
The  moth  shall  devour  them.  By  a  perfectly  natural  and  com- 
mon transition,  the  writer  passes  from  comparison  to  metaphor, 
and  having  first  transformed  them  into  garments,  says  directly 
that  the  moth  shall  devour  them,  not  as  men,  in  which  light  he 
no  longer  views  them,  but  as  old  clothes.  This  is  a  favourite 
comparison  in  Scripture  to  express  a  gradual  but  sure  decay. 
(Compare  ch.  51  :  8  and  Hos.  5  :  12.)  In  Job  13  :  28.  Ps.  39  :  12, 
it  seems  to  denote  the  effect  of  pining  sickness. 

10.  Who  among  you  is  a  fearer  of  Jehovah,  hearkening  to  the 
voice  of  his  servant,  who  ivalkdh  in  darkness  and  there  is  no  light 
to  him?  Let  him  trust  in  the  name  of  Jehovah,  and  lean  upon  his 
God.  The  same  sense  may  be  attained  by  closing  the  interro- 
gation at  his  servant,  and  reading  the  remainder  of  the  sentence 
thus  :  lohoso  walketh  in  darkness  and  hath  no  light,  let  him  trust  etc. 
Obedience  to  the  word  is  implied  in  hearing  it,  but  not  ex- 
pressed. Darkness  is  here  used  as  a  natural  and  common 
figure  for  distress.  (See  above,  ch.  8  :  20.  9  :  1.)  Trusting  in 
the  name  of  Jehovah  is  not  simply  trusting  in  himself,  or  in 
the  independent  self-existence  which  that  name  implies,  but  in 
his  manifested  attributes,  attested  by  experience,  which  seems 
to  be  the  full  sense  of  the  word  name,  as  applied  to  God  in  the 
Old  Testament  Two  exegetical  questions,  in  relation  to  this 
verse,  have   much  divided  and  perplexed  interpreters.     The 


CHAPTER   L.  251 

first  has  respect  to  the  person  speaking  and  the  objects  of 
address ;  the  other  to  the  Servant  of  Jehovah.  These  ques- 
tions, from  their  close  connection  and  their  mutual  dependence, 
may  be  most  conveniently  discussed  together.  There  would 
be  no  absurdity,  nor  even  inconsistency,  in  supposing  that  his 
servant  means  the  prophet  or  the  prophets  indefinitely,  as  the 
organs  of  the  divine  communications.  This  may  be  granted 
even  by  those  who  give  the  title  a  very  difi"erent  meaning  else- 
where, as  it  cannot  reasonably  be  supposed  that  so  indefinite  a 
name,  and  one  of  such  perpetual  occurrence,  is  invariably  used 
in  its  most^  pregnant  and  emphatic  sense.  It  is  certain,  on  the 
contrary,  that  it  is  frequently  applied  to  the  prophets  and  to 
other  public  functionaries  of  the  old  economy.  There  is 
therefore  no  absurdity  in  Calvin's  explanation  of  the  phrase  as 
here  descriptive  of  God's  ministers  or  messengers  in  general, 
to  whom  those  who  fear  him  are  required  to  submit.  The 
verse  may  then  be  connected  immediately  with  what  precedes, 
as  the  words  of  the  same  speaker.  But  while  'till  this  is  un- 
questionably true,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  the  frequency  and 
prominence  with  which  the  Servant  of  Jehovah  is  exhibited 
in  these  Later  Prophecies,  as  one  distinguished  from  the  ordi- 
nary ministry,  makes  it  more  natural  to  make  that  application 
of  the  words  in  this  case,  if  it  be  admissible.  The  only  diffi- 
culty lies  in  the  mention  of  the  Servant  of  Jehovah  in  the 
third  person,  while  the  preceding  context  is  to  be  considered 
as  his  own  words.  (See  above,  on  ch.  49  :  1.)  This  objection 
may  be  easily  removed,  if  we  assume  that  the  words  of  the 
Servant  of  Jehovah  are  concluded  in  the  preceding  verse,  and 
that  in  the  one  before  us  the  Prophet  goes  on  to  speak  in  hia 
own  person.  This  assumption,  although  not  demonstrably  cor- 
rect, agrees  well  with  the  dramatic  form  of  the  context,  both 
before  and  after,  and  the  frequent  changes  of  person  without 
any  explicit  intimation,  which  even  the  most  rigorous  inter- 
preters are  under  the  necessity  of  granting.     On  this  hypoth- 


252  CHAPTER   L. 

esis,  which  seems  to  be  approved  by  the  latest  as  well  as  the 
older  writers,  the  Servant  of  Jehovah  here  referred  to  is  the 
same  ideal  person  who  appears  at  the  beginning  of  the  forty- 
ninth  and  forty-second  chapters,  namely,  the  Messiah  and  his 
People  as  his  type  and  representative,  to  whose  instructions  in 
the  name  of  God  the  world  must  hearken  if  it  would  be  saved. 
The  question,  which  part  of  the  complex  person  here  predomi- 
nates, must  be  determined  by  observing  what  is  said  of  him. 
If  the  exhortation  of  the  verse  were  naturally  applicable  to 
the  world  at  large,  as  distinguished  from  the  chosen  people, 
then  the  latter  might  be  readily  supposed  to  be  included  under 
the  desciiption  of  the  Servant  of  Jehovah.  But  as  the  terms 
employed  appear  to  be  descriptive  of  the  people  of  Jehovah, 
or  of  some  considerable  class  among  them,  the  most  probable 
conclusion  seems  to  be,  that  by  the  Servant  of  Jehovah  we  are 
here  to  understand  the  Head  as  distinguished  from  the  Body, 
with  a  secondary  reference,  perhaps,  to  his  ofl&cial  represen- 
tatives, so  far  as  he  employs  them  in  communicating  even  with 
the  Body  itself 

11.  Lo.  all  of  you  kiiLdling  firc^  glrcUng  sparks  {ov  fiery  daiis), 
go  in  the  light  of  your  fire^  and  in  the  sparks  ye  have  kindled. 
From  my  hand  is  this  to  you;  in  paiti  (or  at  the  place  of  torment) 
shall  ye  lie  down.  The  construction  of  the  first  clause  is  am- 
biguous, as  kindling  and  girding,  with  their  adjuncts,  may  be 
either  the  predicates  or  subjects  of  the  proposition.  The  great 
majority  of  writers  explain  the  participles  as  the  subject  of  the 
sentence,  or  a  description  of  the  object  of  address,  all  of  you 
kindling,  i.  e.  all  of  you  who  kindle.  Thus  understood,  the 
clause  implies  that  the  speaker  is  here  turning  from  one  class 
of  hearers  to  another,  from  the  Gentiles  to  the  Jews,  or  from 
the  unbelieving  portion  of  the  latter  to  the  pious,  or  still  more 
generally  from  the  corresponding  classes  of  mankind  at  large, 
without  either  national  or  local  limitation.     The  wider  sense 


CHAPTER    LI.  263 

agrees  best  with  the  comprehensive  terms  of  the  passage,  what- 
ever specific  applications  may  be  virtually  comprehended  iu  it 
or  legitimately  deducible  from  it.  There  is  also  a  diiFerence 
of  opinion  with  respect  to  the  impoit  of  the  figures.  The 
rabbinical  interpreters  suppose  the  fire  to  denote  the  wrath 
of  God,  iu  proof  of  which  they  are  able  to  allege,  not  only  the 
general  usage  of  the  emblem  in  that  sense,  but  the  specific 
combination  of  this  very  noun  and  verb  in  Deut.  32  :  22. 
Jer.  15:14.  17:4.  In  all  these  cases  the  meaning  of  the 
figure  is  determined  by  the  addition  of  the  words  in  mij  anger. 
(See  above,^  on  ch.  48  :  9  )  Common  to  all  the  explanations  is 
the  radical  idea  of  a  fire  kindled  by  themselves  to  their  own 
eventual  destruction.  This  result  is  predicted,  as  in  many 
other  cases,  under  the  form  of  a  command  or  exhortation  to 
persist  in  the  course  which  must  finally  destroy  them.  Go 
(i.  e.  go  on)  in  ti.e  Vght  of  your  fire.  From  my  hand  is  this  to 
you.,  i.  e.  my  power  has  decreed  and  will  accomplish  what  is 
now  about  to  be  declared,  viz.  that  you  shall  life  down  in  sor- 
row, or  a  place  of  sorrow,  if  we  give  the  noun  the  local  sense 
usual  in  words  of  this  formation.  The  expression  is  a  general 
one,  denoting  final  ruin,  and  of  course  includes,  although  it 
may  not  specifically  signify,  a  future  state  of  misery. 


CHAPTER  LI. 

Inteupreters  are  much  divided  with  respect  to  the  par- 
ticular period  which  constitutes  the  subject  of  this  prophecy. 
The  modern  Jews  regard  it  as  a  promise  of  delivei'ance  from 
their  present  exile  and  dispersion  by  the  Messiah  whom  they 
still  expect.     The  Christian  Fathers  refer  it  to  the  time  of  the 


254  CHAPTER   LI. 

first  advent.  Modern  writers  are  divided  between  this  bypo- 
thesis  and  that  which  confines  it  to  the  Babylonish  exile.  The 
truth  appears  to  be,  that  this  chapter  is  a  direct  continuation 
of  the  preceding  declarations  with  respect  to  the  vocation  of 
the  Church  and  the  divine  administration  towards  her.  The 
possibility  of  her  increase,  as  previously  promised,  is  evinced 
by  the  example  of  Abraham,  from  whom  all  Israel  descended, 
vs.  1-3.  In  like  manner  many  shall  be  added  from  the  gen- 
tiles^ vs.  4-6.  Their  enemies  shall  not  only  fail  to  destroy 
theiJ,  but  shall  be  themselves  destroyed,  vs.  7,  8.  This  is  con- 
firmed by  another  historical  example,  that  of  Egypt,  vs.  9,  10. 
The  came  assurances  are  then  repeated,  with  a  clearer  promise 
of  the  new  dispensation,  vs.  11-lG.  The  chapter  closes  with 
a  direct  address  to  Zion,  who,  though  helpless  in  herself  and 
destitute  of  human  aid,  is  sure  of  God's  protection  and  of  the 
destruction  of  her  enemies  and  his,  vs.  17-23. 

1.  Hearken  unto  me !  A  common  formula,  when  the  writer 
or  speaker  turns  away  from  one  object  of  address  to  another. 
It  is  here  used  because  he  is  about  to  address  himself  to  the 
faithful  servants  of  Jehovah,  the  true  Israel,  who  are  described 
as  seeking  after  righteousness ^  i.  e.  making  it  the  end  of  all  their 
efibrts  to  be  righteous,  or  conformed  to  the  wall  of  God.  The 
originjil  application  of  the  phrase  here  used  is  by  Moses 
(Deut.  16  :  20),  from  whom  it  is  copied  twice  by  Solomon 
(Prov.  15 : 9.  21  :  21),  and  twice  by  Paul  (1  Tim.  6:11.2  Tim. 
2  :  22.)  The  same  apostle  uses,  in  the  same  sense,  the  more 
general  expression, /o//ow  after  good  (1  Thess.  5  :  15),  which  is 
also  used  by  David  (Ps.  38  :  21,  comp.  Ps.  34 :  15).  The  same 
class  of  persons  is  then  described  as  seeking  (or  seekers  of)  Je- 
hovah^ i.  e.  seeking  his  presence,  praying  to  him,  worshipping 
him,  consulting  him.  The  first  description  is  more  abstract, 
the  second  expresses  a  personal  relation  to  Jehovah  ;  both 
together  are  descriptive  of  the  righteous  as  distinguished  from 


CHAPTER   LI.  255 

the  wicked.  Now  as  these  have  ever  been  comparatively  few, 
not  only  in  relation  to  the  heathen  world,  but  in  relation  to 
the  spurious  members  of  the  church  itself,  a  promise  of  vast 
increase  (like  that  in  ch.  49  :  18-21)  might  well  appear  in- 
credible. In  order  to  remove  this  doubt,  the  Prophet  here 
appeals,  not,  as  in  many  other  cases,  to  the  mere  omnipotence 
of  God,  but  to  a  historical  example  of  precisely  the  same  kind, 
viz.  that  of  Abraham,  from  whom  the  race  of  Israel  had 
already  sprung,  in  strict  fulfilment  of  a  divine  promise.  Look 
unto  the  rock  (from  which)  i/e  have  beui  heion^  and  to  the  hole  of 
the  pit  (from  which)  i/e  have  been  digged. 

2.  Look  unto  Abraham  your  father  and  unto  Sarah  (that)  bare 
you.  That  Sarah  is  mentioned  chiefly  for  rhythmical  effect, 
may-  be  inferred  from  the  writer's  now  confining  what  he  says 
to  Abraham  alone.  Instead  of  speaking  further  of  both  parents, 
he  now  says.  For  I  have  called  him  one ;  which  does  not  mean, 
I  have  declared  him  to  be  such  or  so  described  hi;n,  but  I  have 
called  (i.  e.  chosen,  designated)  him,  when  he  was  only  one,  i.  e. 
a  solitary  individual,  although  the  destined  father  of  a  great 
nation  (Gen.  12  :  2).  This  sense  of  the  word  one  is  clear  from 
Ezek.  33  ;  24,  where,  with  obvious  allusion  to  this  verse,  it  is 
put  in  opposition  to  many.  Abraham  ivas  one,  and  he  inherited 
the  land;  and  ice  are  many,  (much  mor«  then)  is  the  land  given 
io  us  for  an  inheritance.  The  same  antithesis  is  far  more  obvious 
and  appropriate  in  this  place,  than  that  between  Abraham,  as 
sole  heir  of  the  promise,  and  the  rest  of  men,  who  were  excluded 
from  it.  The  design  of  the  Prophet  is  not  so  much  to  magnify 
the  honour  put  upon  Abraham  by  choosing  him  out  of  the 
whole  race  to  be  the  father  of  the  faithful,  as  it  is  to  show  the 
power  and  faithfulness  of  God  in  making  this  one  man  a  nation 
like  the  stars  of  heaven  for  multitude,  according  to  the  promise 
(Gen.  15  :  5).  Interpreters,  with  almost  perfect  unanimity, 
explain  the  two  verbs  at  the  end  of  this  verse  as  expressing  past 


256  CHAPTER   LI. 

time  (^and  I  blessed  him  and  caused  him  to  increase)^  although  the 
preterite  translation  is  entirely  gratuitous  and  therefore  un- 
grammatical.  The  masoretic  pointing,  it  is  true,  is  not  of 
absolute  authority,  but  it  is  of  the  highest  value  as  the  record 
of  an  ancient  critical  tradition  ;  and  the  very  fact  that  it  departs 
in  this  case  from  the  sense  which  all  interpreters  have  felt  to 
be  most  obvious  and  natural,  creates  a  strong  presumption  that 
it  rests  upon  some  high  authority  or  some  profound  view  of  the 
Prophet's  meaning.  And  we  find  accordingly  that  by  adhering 
to  the  strict  sense  of  the  future,  we  not  only  act  in  accordance 
with  a  most  important  general  principle  of  exegesis,  but  obtain 
a  sense  which,  though  less  obvious  than  the  common  one,  is 
really  better  in  itself  and  better  suited  to  the  context.  Accord- 
ing to  the  usual  interpretation,  this  verse  simply  asserts  the 
fulfilment  of  the  promise  to  Abraham,  leaving  the  reader  to 
connect  it  with  what  follows  as  he  can.  But  by  a  strict  trans- 
lation of  the  futures,  they  are  made  to  furnish  an  easy  and 
natural  transition  from  the  one  case  to  the  other,  from  the 
great  historical  example  cited  to  the  subject  which  it  was  in- 
tended to  illustrate.  The  concise  phrase,  one  I  called  him^  really 
includes  a  citation  of  the  promise  made  to  Abi*aham,  and 
suggests  the  fact  of  its  fulfilment,  so  far  as  this  had  yet  taken 
place.  The  Prophet,  speaking  in  Jehovah's  name,  then  adds  a 
declaration  that  the  promise  should  be  still  more  gloriously 
verified.  As  if  he  had  said,  I  promised  to  bless  him  and 
increase  him,  and  I  did  so,  and  I  will  bless  him  and  increase  him 
(still).  But  how  ?  By  showing  mercy  to  his  seed,  as  I  have 
determined  and  begun  to  do.  This  last  idea  is  expressed  in 
the  first  clause  of  the  next  verse,  which  is  then  no  longer  inco- 
herent or  abrupt,  but  in  the  closest  and  most  natural  connection 
■with  what  goes  before.  This  consideration  might  have  less 
force  if  the  illustration  had  been  drawn  from  the  experience  of 
another  race,  for  instance  from  the  history  of  Egypt  or  Assyria, 
or  even  from  the  increase  of  the  sons  of  Lot  or  Ishmael.     But 


CHAPTER  LI.  257 

when  the  promise  which  he  wished  to  render  credible  is  really 
a  repetition  or  continuation  of  the  one  which  he  cites  as  an  illus- 
trative example,  the  intimate  connection  thus  establishtd  or 
revealed  between  them  is  a  strong  proof  that  the  explanation 
which  involves  it  is  the  true  one. 

3.  For  Jehovah  hath  comforted  Zion.  As  soon  as  the  strict 
sense  of  the  futures  in  v.  2  has  been  reinstated,  the  connection 
becomes  obvious.  '  I  have  blessed  and  increased  him,  and  I 
bless  and  increase  him  ;  for  Jehovah  has  begun  to  comfort 
Zion.'  The.  comparison  of  ch.  40  :  1  shows  what  we  are  here  to 
understand  by  Zion,  viz  Jehovah's  people,  of  which  it  was  the 
capital,  the  sanctuary,  and  the  symbol.  What  is  there  com- 
manded is  here,  in  a  certain  sort,  performed,  or  its  performance 
more  distinctly  and  positively  pronounced.  He  hath  comforted  all 
her  wastes  (or  ruins),  i.  e.  restored  cheerfulness  to  what  was 
wholly  desolate.  This  phrase  proves  nothing  as  to  the  Prophet's 
viewing  Zion  merely  as  a  ruinous  city,  since  in'any  case  this 
is  the  substratum  of  his  metaphor.  The  question  is  not 
whether  he  has  reference  to  Zion  or  Jerusalem  as  a  town,  but 
whether  this  town  is  considered  merely  as  a  town,  and  men- 
tioned for  its  own  sake,  or  in  the  sense  before  explained,  as 
the  established  representative  and  emblem  of  the  church  or 
chosen  people.  (See  above,  on  ch.  49  :  21.)  A?id  hath  placed 
(or  made)  her  ivilderness  like  Eden,  and  her  desert  like  the  garden  of 
the  Lord.  This  beautiful  comparison  is  the  strongest  possible 
expression  of  a  joyful  change  from  total  barrenness  and  deso- 
lation to  the  highest  pitch  of  fertility  and  beauty.  It  is  closely 
copied  in  Ezekiel  31:9;  but  the  same  comparison,  in  more 
concise  terms,  is  employed  by  Moses  (Gen.  13  :  10).  Even 
there,  notwithstanding  what  is  added  about  Egypt,  but  still 
more  unequivocally  here,  the  reference  is  not  to  a  gardm  or  to 
pleasure-grounds  in  general,  as  Luther  and  several  of  the  later 
Germans  have  assumed,  with  no  small  damage  to  the  force  and 


258  CHAPTER    LI. 

beauty  of  their  versions,  but  to  Eden  as  a  proper  name,  the  gar- 
den of  Jehovah,  the  Paradise^  as  the  Septuagint  renders  it,  both 
here  and  in  Gen.  2  :  8,  the  grand  historical  and  yet  ideal  desig- 
nation of  the  most  consummate  terrene  excellence,  analogous, 
if  not  still  more  nearly  related,  to  the  Grecian  pictures  of 
Arcadia  and  of  TempG.  Joy  a;id  gladness  shall  be  found  in  her, 
i.  e.  in  Zion,  thus  transformed  into  a  paradise.  Shall  be  found 
does  not  simply  mean  shall  be,  but  also  that  they  shall  be  there 
accessible,  not  only  present  in  their  abstract  essence,  as  it  were, 
but  in  the  actual  experience  of  those  who  dwell  there.  Thanhs- 
giving  and  the  voice  of  melody.  The  music  of  the  common  ver- 
sion of  this  last  clause  is  at  once  too  familiar  and  too  sacred  to 
be  superseded,  simply  for  the  purpose  of  expressing  more  dis- 
tinctly the  exact  sense  of  the  last  word,  which  originally  signifies 
the  sound  of  an  instrument  or  instrumental  music,  but  is 
afterwards  used  to  denote  song  in  general,  or  rather  as  a  vehicle 
of  praise  to  God. 

4.  Attend  (or  hearken)  unto  me,  my  people;  and  my  nation, 
unto  me  give  ear.  This  may  seem  to  be  a  violation  of  the  usage 
which  has  been  already  stated  as  employing  this  form  of  speech 
to  indicate  a  change  in  the  object  of  address.  But  such  a 
change,  although  a  slight  one,  takes  place  even  here ;  for  he 
seems  no  longer  to  address  those  seeking  righteousness  exclu- 
sively, but  the  whole  body  of  the  people  as  such.  The  next 
clause  .^^^^ains  what  it  is  that  they  are  thus  called  upon  to 
hear,  viz.  that  laiv  from  me  shall  go  forth,  i.  e.  revelation  or  the 
true  religion,  as  an  expression  of  God's  will,  and  consequently 
man's  rule  of  duty.  In  like  manner  Paul  describes  the  gospel 
as  the  law  oj  faith  (Rom.  3  :  27),  not  binding  upon  one  race  or 
nation  merely,  but  by  the  commandment  rf  the  everlasting  God 
made  knoivn  to  all  nations  for  the  obedience  of  faith  (Rom. 
16  :  26).  The  meaning  of  the  clause  is  that  the  nations  can 
expect  illumination  only  from  one  quarter.     The  same  thing 


CHAPTER   LI.  259 

is  then  said  in  another  form.  And  my  judgment  for  the  light  of 
the  nations  (as  in  ch.  42  :  6,  49  :  6)  will  I  cause  to  rest,  i.  e.  fix, 
establish. 

5.  Near  {is)  my  righleousncss^  i.  e.  the  exhibition  of  it  in  the 
changes  previously  promised  and  threatened.  Near,  as  often 
elsewhere  in  the  prophecies,  is  an  indefinite  expression  which 
describes  it  simply  as  approaching,  and  as  actually  near  to  the 
perceptions  of  the  Prophet  or  to  any  one  who  occupies  the  same 
point  of  vision.  Gone  forth  is  ?)iy  sah-ation.  Not  only  is  the 
purpose  formed,  and  the  decree  gone  forth,  but  the  event  itself, 
in  the  sense  just  explained,  may  be  described  as  past  or  actually 
passing.  And  my  arms  shall  judge  the  nations.  As  the  fore- 
going clause  contains  a  promise,  some  interpreters  suppose  it  to 
be  necessary  to  give  judge  the  favourable  sense  of  vindicating, 
righting  (as  in  ch.  1  :  17,  23),  or  at  least  the  generic  one  of 
ruling  (as  in  1  Sam.  8  :  5).  But  nothing  can  be  more  in  keep- 
ing with  the  usage  of  the  Scriptures,  and  of  this  book  in  par- 
ticular, than  the  simultaneous  exhibition  of  God's  justice  in  his 
treatment  both  of  friends  and  foes.  (Compare  ch.  1  :  27.)  For 
me  shall  the  islands  tvait,  i.  e.  for  me  they  must  wait ;  until  I 
reveal  myself  they  must  remain  in  darkness.  (See  above,  on 
ch.  42  :  4.)  The  usual  sense  of  islmids  is  entirely  appropriate 
here,  as  a  poetical  or  representative  expression  for  countries  in 
general,  with  more  particular  reference  to  those  across  the  sea. 
And  in  my  arm  they  shall  hope,  i.  e.  in  the  exercise  of  my 
almighty  power.  As  in  ch.  42  :  6,  the  sense  is  not  so  much 
that  they  shall  exercise  a  feeling  of  trust,  but  that  this  will  be 
their  only  hope  or  dependence.  To  be  enlightened,  they  must 
wait  for  my  revelation  ;  to  be  saved,  for  the  exertion  of  my 
power.  It  is  not  descriptive,  therefore,  of  the  feelings  of  the 
nations  after  the  way  of  salvation  is  made  known  to  them,  but 
of  thsir  desperate  and  helpless  condition  until  they  hear  it. 


260  CHAPTER   LI. 

6.  Raise  to  the  heavens  your  eyes^  and,  look  unto  the  earth 
beneath.  A  similar  foi'in  of  address  occurs  above,  in  ch.  40  :  26. 
(Compare  Gen.  15  :  5.)  Heaven  and  earth  are  here  put,  as  in 
many  other  places,  for  the  whole  frame  of  nature.  The  next 
clause  explains  why  they  are  called  upon  to  look.  For  the 
heavens  like  smoke  are  dissolved  or  driven  away.  Most  writers 
give  this  verb  a  future  sense  (or  a  present  one  as  an  evasive 
substitute),  because  the  real  future  follows  ;  but  for  this  very 
reason  it  may  be  presumed  that  the  writer  used  distinct  forms 
to  express  distinct  ideas,  and  that  he  first  gives  a  vivid  descrip- 
tion of  the  dissolution  as  already  past,  and  then  foretells  its 
consummation  as  still  future.  And  the  earth  like  the  garment 
(which  grows  old)  shall  groiv  old  (or  ^cear  out).  The  same  com- 
parison occurs  above  in  ch.  50  : 9,  and  serves  to  identify  the 
passages  as  parts  of  one  continued  composition.  And  their  in- 
habitants shall  die.  The  translation  recommended  by  analogy 
and  usage  as  well  as  by  the  testimony  of  the  ancient  versions 
is,  they  shall  likcioise  perish,  to  which  there  may  possibly  be  an 
allusion  in  our  Saviour's  words  recorded  in  Luke  13:3,5. 
The  contrast  to  this  general  destruction  is  contained  in  the 
last  clause.  A7id  my  salvation  to  eternity  shall  be,  and  my  right- 
eousness shall  not  be  broken.,  i.  e.  shall  not  cease  from  being  what 
it  is,  in  which  sense  the  same  verb  is  evidently  used  by  Isaiah 
elsewhere  (ch.  7 :  8).  In  this  as  in  many  other  cases,  salvation 
and  righteousness  are  not  synonymous  but  merely  correlative 
as  cause  and  effect.  (See  above,  on  ch.  42  :  6.)  The  only 
question  as  to  this  clause  is  Avhether  it  is  a  hypothetical  or 
absolute  proposition.  If  the  former,  then  the  sense  is  that 
until  (or  even  if)  the  frame  of  nature  be  dissolved,  th-^  justice 
and  salvation  of  Jehovah  shall  remain  unshaken.  The  other 
interpretation  understands  the  first  clause  as  a  positive  and 
independent  declaration  that  the  heavens  and  earth  sliall  be 
dissolved.  All  these  hypotheses  are  reconcilable  by  making 
the  first  clause  mean,  as  similar  expressions  do  mean  elsewhere, 


CHAPTER   LI.  261 

that  the  most  extraordinary  changes  shall  be  witnessed,  moral 
and  physical ;  but  that  amidst  them  all  this  one  thing  shall  re- 
main unchangeable,  the  righteousness  of  God  as  displayed  in 
the  salvation  of  his  people.  (See  ch.  40  ;  8.  65  :  17.  Matt. 
5:  18.  1  John  2:  17.) 

7.  Hearken  unto  me,  ye  that  knoio  righteousness,  people  (loith) 
my  law  in  their  heart ;  fear  not  the  reproach  of  men,  and  by  their 
scoffs  be  7iot  broken  (in  spirit,  i.  e.  terrified).  The  distinction 
here  implied  is  still  that  between  the  righteous  and  the  wicked 
as  the  two  great  classes  of  mankind.  Tho.se  who  are  described 
in  V.  1  as  seeking  after  righteousness  are  here  said  to  know  it, 
i.  e.  know  it  by  experience.  The  presence  of  the  law  in  the 
heart  denotes  not  mere  affection  for  it  but  a  correct  apprehen- 
sion of  it,  as  the  heart  in  liebrev>^  is  put  for  the  whole  mind 
or  soul  j  it  is  therefore  a  just  parallel  to  knowing  in  the  other 
member  of  the  clause.  The  opposite  class,  or  those  who  kuow 
not  what  is  right,  and  who  have  not  God's  law  in  their  heart, 
are  comprehended  under  the  generic  title  man,  with  particular 
reference  to  the  derivation  of  the  Hebrew  word  from  a  root 
meaning  to  be  weak  or  sickly,  so  that  its  application  here  sug- 
gests the  idea  of  their  frailty  and  mortality,  as  a  sufficient 
reason  why  God's  people  should  not  be  afraid  of  them. 

8.  For  like  the  (moth-eaten)  garment  shall  the  moth  devour 
them,  and.  like  tlie  (worm-eaten)  uwol  shall  the  ivorm  detjour  them; 
and  my  righteousness  to  eternity  shall  be,  and  m,y  salvation,  to  an 
age  of  ages.  The  same  contrast  between  God's  immutability 
and  the  brief  duration  of  his  enemies,  is  presented  in  ch.  50  :  9, 
and  in  v.  6  above. 

9.  Awake,  awake,  put  on  strength,  arm.  of  Jehovah,  awake,  as 
{in  the)  days  of  old,  the  ages  of  eternities  ;  art  not  tlioxh  the  same 
that  hewed  Rahab  in  pieces,  that  wounded  the  serpent  (or  dragon?) 


262  CHAPTER   LI. 

The  only  probable  hypothesis  is  that  which  puts  the  words 
into  the  mouth  of  the  people  or  of  the  Prophet  as  their  repre- 
sentative. The  verse  is  then  a  highly  figurative  but  by  no 
means  an  obscure  appeal  to  the  former  exertion  of  that  power, 
as  a  reason  for  its  renewed  exertion  in  the  present  case.  The 
particular  example  cited  seems  to  be  the  overthrow  of  Egypt, 
here  described  by  the  enigmatical  name  Rahab,  for  the  origin 
and  sense  of  which  see  above,  on  eh.  30  :  7.  The  same  thing 
is  probably  intended  by  the  parallel  term  dragon^  whether 
this  be  understood  to  mean  an  aquatic  monster  in  the  general, 
or  more  specifically  the  crocodile,  the  natural  and  immemorial 
emblem  of  Egypt. 

10  Art  not  thou  the  same  that  dried  the  sea,  the  waters  of  the 
great  deep,  that  placed  the  depths  of  the  sea  [as)  a  loay  for  tlie  fas- 
sage  of  redeemed  ones  ?  The  allusion  to  the  overthrow  of  Egypt 
is  carried  out  and  completed  by  a  distinct  mention  of  the  mirac- 
ulous passage  of  the  Red  Sea.  The  interrogative  form  of  the 
sentence  is  equivalent  to  a  direct  affirmation  that  it  is  the  same 
arm,  or  in  other  words,  that  the  same  power  which  destroyed 
the  Egyptians  for  the  sake  of  Israel  still  exists,  and  may  again 
be  exerted  for  a  similar  purpose.  The  confidence  that  this  will 
be  done  is  expressed  somewhat  abruptly  in  the  next  verse. 

11.  And  the  ransomed  of  Jehovah  shall  return  and  come  to  Zion 
with  shouting,  arid  everlasting  joy  upon  their  heads  ;  gladness  and 
joy  shall  overtake  (them),  sorrow  and  sighing  have  fled  away. 
The  same  words  occur  in  ch.  35  :  10. 

12.  1,1,  am  he  that  comfortcth  you;  who  art  thou,  that  thou 
shouldest  be  afraid  of  man  [who)  is  to  die,  and  of  the  son  of  man 
who  {as)  grass  is  to  be  given  1  The  important  truth  is  here 
reiterated,  that  Jehovah  is  not  only  the  deliverer  but  the  sole 
deliverer  of  his  people,  and  as  the  necessary  consequence,  that 


CHAPTER  LI.  268 

they  have  not  only  no  need  but  no  right  to  be  afraid,  which 

seems  to  be  the  force  of  the  interrogation,  W/io  art  iliou,  that 
thou  shouldest  be  afraid,  or  still  more  literally,  roho  art  thou  and 
thou  hast  lecn  afraid?  i.  e.  consider  who  is  thy  protector  and 
then  recollect  that  thou  hast  been  afraid.  The  last  verb  is 
commonly  explained  as  if  simply  equivalent  to  shall  be  or 
shall  become,  which  is  hardly  consistent  with  its  usage  elsewhere. 
Some  adhere  more  closely  to  the  strict  sense  by  supposing  it 
to  mean  he  shall  be  given  up,  abandoned  to  destruction. 

13.  And  hast  forgotten  Jehovah  thy  Maker,  spreading  the 
heavens  and  founding  the  earth,  and  hast  trembled  continually  all 
the  day,  from  before  the  %vrath  of  the  oppressor,  as  he  made  ready  to 
destroy?  And  where  is  (no^)  the  wrath  of  the  oppressor  ?  The 
form  of  expression  in  the  first  clause  makes  it  still  more  clear 
that  the  statement  in  v.  12  is  not  merely  hypothetical  but 
historical,  implying  that  they  had  actually  feared  man  and 
forgotten  God.  The  epithets  added  to  God's  name  are  not 
merely  ornamental,  much  less  superfluous,  but  strictly  appro- 
priate, because  suggestive  of  almighty  power,  which  ensured  the 
performance  of  his  promise  and  the  effectual  protection  of  his 
people.  Continually  all  the  day  is  an  emphatic  pleonasm,  such 
as  are  occasionally  used  in  every  language.  From  before  is  a 
common  Hebrew  idiom  {or  because  of,  on  account  of  but  may  here 
be  taken  in  its  strict  sense  as  expressive  of  alarm  and  flight 
before  an  enemy.  (See  ch.  2:  19.)  Some  render  "iirss  as  if, 
to  which  there  are  two  objections  :  first,  the  want  of  any  satis- 
factory authority  from  usage  ;  and  secondly,  the  fact  that  the 
words  then  imply  that  no  such  attempt  has  really  been  made. 
As  if  he  could  destroy  would  be  appropriate  enough,  because  it 
is  merely  an  indirect  denial  of  his  power  to  do  so  ;  but  it  cannot 
be  intended  to  deny  that  he  had  aimed  at  it.  The  word  trans- 
lated rnake  ready,  is  particularly  used  in  reference  to  the  prep- 
aration   of  the  bow  for  shooting  by  the  adjustment   of  the 


264  CHAPTER    LI. 

arrow  on  the  string ;  some  suppose  that  it  specifically  signifies 
the  act  of  taking  aim.  (Compare  Ps.  7  :  13.  11  :  2.  21  :  13.) 
The  question  at  the  close  implies  that  the  wrath  is  at  an  end, 
and  the  oppressor  himself  vanished.  We  have  no  authority 
for  limiting  this  reference  to  any  particular  historical  event 
It  is  as  if  he  had  said,  How  often  have  you  trembled  when 
your  oppressors  threatened  to  destroy  you ;  and  where  are  they 
now? 

14.  He  hastms  bowing  to  h  loosed,  and  he  shall  7wt  die  in  the 
pit,  and  his  bread  shall  not  fail.  The  essential  idea  is  that  of 
liberation,  but  with  some  obscurity  in  the  expression.  The 
modern  lexicographers  appear  to  be  agreed  that  the  radical 
meaning  of  the  verb  here  translated  bowing  is  that  of  bend- 
ing, either  backward  (as  in  ch.  63  :  1)  or  downward  (as 
in  Jer.  48  :  12).  The  latest  versions  accordingly  explain  it 
as  a  poetical  description  of  the  prisoner  bowed  down  under 
chains.  With  still  more  exactness  it  may  be  translated  as 
a  participle  qualifying  the  indefinite  subject  of  the  verb  at 
the  beginning.  There  is  however  no  objection  to  the  usual 
construction  of  the  word  as  a  noun  ;  the  sense  remains  the 
same  in  either  case.  The  next  clause  is  sometimes  taken  as  an 
indirect  subjunctive  proposition,  that  he  may  not  die  ;  but  it  is 
best  to  make  it  a  direct  affirmation  that  he  shall  not.  The 
general  sense  is  still  that  the  captive  shall  not  perish  in 
captivity.  This  general  promise  is  then  rendered  more  specific 
by  the  assurance  that  he  shall  not  starve  to  death,  which  seems 
to  be  the  only  sense  that  can  be  put  upon  the  last  clause. 

15.  And  I  [am)  Jehovah  thy  God,  rousing  the  sea  and  then  its 
waves  roar ;  Jehovah  of  Hosts  {is)  his  name.  Another  appeal  to 
the  power  of  God  as  a  pledge  for  the  performance  of  his  promise. 
S;""i  has  been  understood  in  two  directly  opposite  senses,  that 
of  stilling  and  that  of  agitating.     The  first  is  strongly  recom- 


CHAPTER    LI.  265' 

mended  by  the  not  unfrequent  use  of  the  derivative  conjuga- 
tions in  the  sense  of  quieting  or  being  quiet. 

16.  And  I  have  put  my  ivords  in  thy  mouthy  and  in  the  shadow 
of  my  hand  I  have  hid  thee,  to  plant  the  heavens,  and  to  found  the 
earth,  and  to  say  to  Zion,  Thou  art  my  people.  That  these  words 
are  not  addressed  to  Zion  or  the  Church  is  evident;  because 
in  the  last  clause  she  is  spoken  of  in  the  third  person,  and  ad- 
dressed in  the  next  verse  with  a  sudden  change  to  the  feminine 
form  from  the  masculine  which  is  here  used.  That  it  is  not 
the  Prophet  may  be  readily  inferred  from  the  nature  of  the 
work  described  in  the  second  clause.  The  only  remaining 
supposition  is  that  the  Messiah  is  the  object  of  address,  and 
that  his  work  or  mission  is  here  described,  viz.  to  plant  the 
heavens,  i  e.  to  establish  them,  perhaps  with  allusion  to  the 
erection  of  a  tent  by  the  insertion  of  its  stakes  in  the  ground. 
The  new  creation  thus  announced  can  only  mean  tlj^e  reproduc- 
tion of  the  cliurch  in  a  new  form,  by  what  we  usually  call  the 
change  of  dispensations.  The  outward  economy  should  all  be 
new,  and  yet  the  identity  of  the  chosen  people  should  remain 
unbroken.  For  he  whom  God  had  called  to  plant  new  heavens 
and  to  found  a  new  earth  was  likewise  commissioned  to  say  to 
Zion,  Thou  art  still  my  people. 

17.  This  maybe  considered  a  continuation  of  the  address 
begun  at  the  end  of  the  preceding  verse.  The  same  voice 
which  there  said,  Thou  art  my  people,  may  be  here  supposed  to 
say,  Rouse  thyself!  rouse  thyself!  Arise  Jerusalem!  {thou)  who 
hast  drunk  at  the  hand  of  Jehovah  the  cup  of  his  ivrath ;  the  bowl 
of  the  cup  of  reeling  thou  hast  drunk,  thou  hast  lorung  (or  sucked) 
out,  i.  e.  drunk  its  very  dregs.  The  cup  is  of  course  put  for 
its  contents,  a  natural  figure  for  anythii^  administered  or  prof- 
fered by  a  higher  power.  (Compare  Jer.  25  :  15,  16.  49  :  12. 
51  :  7.  Lam.  4  :  21.  Ob.  16.  Ezek.  23  :  34.  Rev.  14  :  10.) 

VOL.   II. — 12 


266  CHAPTER    LI. 

18.  There  is  no  guide  to  her  (or  no  one  leading  her)  of  alt  the 
sons  she  has  brought  forth^  and  no  one  grasping  her  hand  of  all 
the  sons  she  has  brought  up.  From  addressing  Z ion  in  the  sec- 
ond person,  he  now  proceeds  to  speak  of  her  in  the  third.  This 
verse  is  not  so  much  descriptive  of  unnatural  abandonment  as 
it  is  of  weakness.  The  sense  is  not  that  no  one  will,  but  that 
no  one  can  protect  or  guide  her.  Some  interpreters  suppcse 
the  figure  of  a  drunken  person  to  be  still  continued.  The 
mother  and  the  sons,  i.  e.  the  people  collectively  and  individ- 
ually, are  distinguished  only  by  a  figure  of  speech. 

19.  Both  those  things  are  befalling  (or  about  to  befall)  thee ;  tvho 
ioill  mourn  for  thee  ?  Wasting  and  ruin,  famine  and  sword ;  who 
{but)  I  will  comfort  thee?  A  difficulty  here  is  the  mention  of 
two  things  in  the  first  clause,  followed  by  an  enumeration  of 
four  in  the  second.  Some  suppose  the  two  things  to  refer  to 
what  precedes,  others  to  wasting  and  ruin  only.  Others  think 
that  wasting  and  famine,  ruin  and  sword,  are  to  be  combined 
a^  synonymes.  The  modern  writers  understand  the  second 
phrase  as  an  explanation  or  specification  of  the  first.  As  if  he 
had  said,  wasting  and  ruin  (such  as  are  produced  by)  famine 
and  the  sxcord.  The  general  meaning  of  the  verse  evidently  is 
that  her  grief  was  beyond  the  reach  of  any  human  comforter. 

20.  Thy  sons  were  faint  (or  helpless).  This  explains  why 
they  did  not  come  to  her  assistance.  They  lie  at  the  head  of  all 
the  streets.  A  conspicuous  place  is  evidently  meant,  but  whether 
the  corners  or  the  higher  part  of  an  uneven  street,  is  a  question 
of  small  moment.  Like  a  toild  bull  in  a  net,  i.  e.  utterly  unable 
to  exert  their  strength.  The  true  cause  of  their  lying  thus  is 
given  in  the  last  clause.  Filled  with  the  wrath  of  Jehovah,  the 
rebuke  of  thy  God.  The  expression^/??/  God  is  emphatic,  and 
suggests  that  her  sufferings  proceeded  from  the  alienation  of 
her  own  divine  protector.     This  verse  is  a  figurative  represen- 


CHAPTER  LI.  267 

tation  of  the  helplessness  of  Zion  or  the  Church  when  partially 
forsaken  for  a  time  by  her  offended  Head. 

21.  Therefore  fray  hear  this,  thou  suffering  one  and  drunken 
but  not  with  iciiie.  The  antithesis  in  the  last  clause  is  to  be 
completed  from  the  context.  Not  with  wine,  but  with  the 
wrath  of  God,  which  had  already  been  described  as  a  cvp  of  reel- 
ing or  intoxication.  The  same  negative  expression  is  employed 
in  oh.  29  :  9. 

22.  Tlius  saith  thy  Lord,  Jehovah,  and  thy  God — he  tvill  de- 
fend (or  avenge)  his  people — Behold,  I  have  taken  from  thy  hand 
the  cup  of  reeling  (or  intoxication),  the  boivl  of  the  cup  of  my  fury  ; 
thou  shall  not  add  {continue  or  repeat)  to  drink  it  any  more  (or 
again).  All  are  compelled  to  admit  that  the  writer  has  refer- 
ence less  to  the  place  than  to  the  people  of  Jerusalem,  and- 
even  to  this  only  as  the  representative  of  the  entire  nation  ;  a 
concession  which  goes  far  to  confirm  the  explanation  of  the 
"  Zion"  of  these  prophecies  which  has  been  already  given.  It 
is  usual  to  explain  153?  3"'"i^  as  a  relative  clause  [who  pleads  the 
cause  of  his  people) ;  but  it  is  simpler,  and  at  the  same  time 
more  in  accordance  with  the  genius  of  tlie  language,  to  regard 
it  as  a  brief  but  corajJete  parenthetical  proposition.  The 
same  character  is  often  ascribed  elsewhere  to  Jehovah.  (See 
ch.  49  :  25.  and  compare  34  :  8.  41  :  11.)  As  the  cup  was  the 
cup  of  God's  wrath,  not  of  man's,  so  God  himself  is  represented 
as  withdrawing  it  from  the  sufferer's  lips,  when  its  purpose  is 
accomplished. 

23.  And  put  it  into  the  hand  of  those  that  afflicted  thee,  that  said 
to  thy  soul.  Bow  down,  and  loe  will  (or  that  we  may)  pass  over  ; 
and  thou  didst  lay  thy  back  as  the  ground  and  as  the  street  for  the 
passengers.  To  thy  soul  always  implies  a  strong  and  commonly 
a  painful  affection  of  the  mind  in  the  object  of  address.      Who 


268  CHAPTER    LI  I. 

said  to  thy  soul  is  then  equivalent  to  saying,  who  distressed  thy 
soul  by  saying.  The  last  clause  is  commonly  explained  as  a 
proverbial  or  at  least  a  metaphorical  description  of  extreme 
humiliation,  although  history  affords  instances  of  literal  humil- 
iation in  this  form.  Such  is  the  treatment  of  Valerian  by 
Sapor,  as  described  by  Lactantius  and  Aurelius  Victor ;  with 
which  may  be  compared  the  conduct  of  Sesostris  to  his  royal 
captives,  as  described  by  Diodorus,  and  that  of  Pope  Alexander 
III  to  the  Emperor  Frederic,  as  recorded  by  the  Italian 
historians.  For  scriptural  parallels  see  Josh.  10  :  24  and 
Judg.  1:7.  If  we  had  any  right  or  reason  to  restrict  this 
prediction  to  a  single  period  or  event,  the  most  obvious  would 
be  the  humiliation  of  the  Chaldees,  who  are  threatened  with 
the  cup  of  God's  wrath  in  Jer,  25  :  26. 


CHAPTER    LII. 


However  low  the  natural  Israel  may  sink,  the  true  Church 
shall  become  more  glorious  than  ever,  being  freed  from  the 
impurities  connected  with  her  former  state,  v.  1.  This  is 
described  as  a  captivity,  from  which  she  is  exhorted  to  escape, 
V.  2.  Her  emancipation  is  the  fruit  of  God's  gratuitous  com- 
passion, V.  3.  As  a  nation  she  has  suffered  long  enough,  vs. 
4,  5.  The  day  is  coming  when  the  Israel  of  God  shall  know 
in  whom  they  have  believed,  v.  6.  The  herald  of  the  new  dis- 
pensation is  described  as  already  visible  upon  the  mountains, 
V.  7.  The  watchmen  of  Zion  hail  their  coming  Lord,  v.  8. 
The  very  ruins  of  Jerusalem  are  summoned  to  rejoice,  v.  9. 
The  glorious  change  is  witnessed  by  the  whole  world,  v.  10. 
The  true  Church  or  Jsrael  of  God  is  exhorted  to  come  out  of 


CHAPTER    LI  I.  g69 

Jewry,  v.  11.  This  exodus  is  likened  to  the  one  from  Eg3'pt, 
but  described  as  even  more  auspicious,  v.  12.  Its  great  leader, 
the  Messiah,  as  the  Servant  of  Jehovah,  must  be  and  is  to  be 
exalted,  V.  13.  And  this  exaltation  shall  bear  due  proportion 
to  the  humiliation  which  preceded  it,  vs.  14,  15. 

1.  Awake^  aioake,  put  on  thy  strength^  oh  Zioii  !  Put  on  thy 
garments  of  beauty,  oh  Jerusalem  the  Holy  City!  For  no  more 
shall  there  add  (or  continue)  to  come  into  thee  an  uncircmncised  and 
unclean  [person).  The  encouraging  assurances  of  the  foregoing 
context  are  now  followed  by  a  summons  similar  to  that  in  ch. 
51  :  17,  but  in  form  approaching  nearer  to  the  apostrophe  in 
ch.  51  :  9.  To  put  on  strength  is  a  perfectly  intelligible,  figure 
for  resuming  strength  or  taking  courage,  and  is  therefore 
entirely  appropriate  in  this  connection.  That  the  city  is  here 
addressed  only  as  a  symbol  of  the  nation,  is  certain  from  tha 
next  verse.  Beautiful  garments  is  by  mostxinterpreters  re- 
garded as  a  general  expression  meaning  fine  clothes  or  holiday 
dresses;  but  some  suppose  a  special  contrast  with  widow's 
weeds  (2  Sam.  14  :  2)  or  prison-garments  (2  Kings  25  :  29). 
Perhaps  the  Prophet  here  resumes  the  metaphor  of  ch.  49  :  18, 
where  Z ion's  children  are  compared  to  bridal  ornaments.  The 
Holy  City,  literally,  city  cf  holiness,  an  epithet  before  applied 
to  Zion  (ch.  48  :  2),  and  denoting  her  peculiar  consecration, 
and  that  of  her  people,  to  the  service  of  Jehovah.  (Compare 
Dan.  8  :  24.)  Henceforth  the  name  is  to  be  more  appropriate 
than  ever,  for  the  reason  given  in  the  last  clause.  Uncircum- 
cised  is  an  expression  borrowed  from  the  ritual  law  and  signi- 
fyi'  g  unclean.  That  it  is  not  here  used  in  its  strict  sense,  is 
intimated  by  the  addition  of  the  general  term.  The  restric- 
tion of  these  epithets  to  the  Babylonians  is  purely  arbitrary, 
and  intended  to  meet  the  objection  that  Jerusalem  was  not 
free  from  heathen  intrusion  after  the  exile.  The  words  con- 
tain a  general  promise  of  exemption  from  the  contaminating 


270  CHAPTER   LII. 

presence  of  the  impure  and  unworthy,  as  a  part  of  the  bless- 
edness and  glory  promised  to  God's  people,  as  the  end  and 
solace  of  their  various  trials. 

2.  Shake  thysdf  from  the  dusi,  arise,  sU,  oh  Jerusalem  !  loose 
the  hands  of  thy  neck,  oh  captive  daughter  Zion  (or  of  Zioji)  ! 
The  dust,  from  which  she  is  to  free  herself  by  shaking  it  off,  is 
either  that  in  which  she  had  been  sitting  as  a  mourner  (ch. 
3  :  26.  47  :  1.  Job  2  :  13),  or  that  which,  in  token  of  her  grief, 
she  had  sprinkled  on  her  head  ( Job  2  :  12).  The  common 
English  version,  sit  down,  until  explained,  suggests  an  idea 
directly  opposite  to  that  intended.  Some  make  it  mean  sit  up^ 
in  opposition  to  a  previous  recumbent  posture.  To  this  it  may 
be  objected,  that  the  verb  is  elsewhere  absolutely  used  in  the 
sense  of  sitting  doion,  especially  in  reference  to  sitting  on  the 
ground  as  a  sign  of  grief;  and  also,  that  the  other  verb  does 
not  merely  qualify  this,  but  expresses  a  distinct  idea,  not 
merely  that  of  rising  but  that  of  standing  up,  which  is  incon- 
sistent with  an  exhortation  to  sit  up,  immediately  ensuing. 
As  a  whole,  the  verse  is  a  poetical  description  of  the  libera- 
tion of  a  female  captive  from  degrading  servitude,  designed 
to  represent  the  complete  emancipation  of  the  Church  from 
tyranny  and  persecution. 

3.  For  thus  saith  Jehovah,  Ye  loere  sold  for  nought,  and  not 
for  money  shall  ye  be  redeemed.  These  words  are  apparently 
designed  to  remove  two  difficulties  in  the  way  of  Israel's  de- 
liverance, a  physical  and  a  moral  one.  The  essential  meaning 
is,  that  it  might  be  effected  rightly  and  easily.  As  Jehovah 
had  received  no  price  for  them,  he  was  under  no  obligations 
to  renounce  his  right  to  them  ;  and  as  nothing  had  been  gained 
by  their  rejection,  so  nothing  would  be  lost  by  their  recovery. 
The  only  obscurity  arises  from  the  singular  nature  of  the 
figure  under  which  the  truth  is  here  presented,  by  the  transfer 


CHAPTEIl    LII.  211 

of  expressions  borrowed  from  the  commercial  intercourse  of 
men  to  the  free  action  of  the  divine  sovereignty.  The  verse 
as  thus  explained,  agrees  exactly  with  the  terras  of  Ps.  44  :  12. 
The  reflexive  meaning  given  in  the  English  Version  (ye  have 
sold  yourselves)  is  not  sustained  by  usage  nor  required  by  the 
context. 

4.  For  thus  sa'ith  the  Lord  Jehovah^  Irdo  Egypt  went  down 
my  people  at  the  first  to  sojourn  there,  and  Assyria  oppressed  them 
for  nothing.  The  interpretation  of  this  verse  and  the  next 
has  been'  not  a  little  influenced  by  the  assumption  of  one  or 
more  strongly  marked  antitheses.  Thus  some  writers  take  it 
for  granted  that  the  Prophet  here  intended  to  contrast  the 
E.gyptian  and  Assyrian  bondage.  They  accordingly  explain 
the  verse  as  meaning  that  the  first  introduction  of  Israel  into 
Egypt  was  without  any  evil  design  upon  the  part  of  the  Egyp-, 
tiaus,  who  did  not  begin  to  oppress  them  uivtil  there  arose  a 
king  who  knew  not  Joseph  (Ex.  1  :  8),  whereas  the  Assyrian 
deportation  of  Israel  was  from  the  beginning  a  high-handed 
act  of  tyranny.  One  commentator  appears  to  exclude  the 
supposition  of  a  contrast  altogether,  and  to  understand  the 
passage  as  a  chronological  enumeration  of  events,  designed  to 
show  how  much  had  been  endui'ed  already  as  a  reason  why 
they  should  endure  no  more.  (Compare  ch.  40  :  2.)  In  an- 
cient times  they  were  oppressed  by  the  Egyptians,  at  a  later 
period  by  Assyria,  and  later  still  by  Babylonia,  whose  oppres- 
sions are  supposed  to  be  described  in  v.  5,  either  as  already 
suffered,  or  as  an  object  of  prophetic  foresight.  This  is  the 
simplest  and  most  natural  interpretation,  and  is  very  strongly 
recommended  by  the  difficulty  of  defining  the  antithesis  in- 
tended on  the  other  supposition.  Most  writers  understand 
the  last  words  as  meaning  for  nothing  or  without  cause, 
i.  e.  unjustly.  The  explanation  of  Assyria  as  meaning  or  in- 
cluding Babylonia,  though  not  without  authority  from  usage,  is 


2*72  CHAPTER    LII. 

as  unnecessary  here  as  in  various  other  places  where  it  has  been 
proposed. 

5.  And  71010,  what  is  there  to  me  here  (lohat  have  I  here),  saith 
Jehovah,  that  my  people  is  taken  away  for  nothing,  its  rulers  howl, 
saith  Jehovah,  and  continually,  all  the  day,  my  name  is  blas- 
phemed ?  Some  understand  now  strictly  as  meaning  at  the  pres- 
ent time,  in  opposition  to  the  ancient  times  when  Israel  suffered 
at  the  hands  of  Egypt  and  Assyria.  The  same  antithesis  may 
he  obtained  -by  giving  now  a  modified  sense  so  as  to  mean  in 
the  present  case,  as  distinguished  from  the  two  already  men- 
tioned. It  would  even  be  admissible  to  give  the  now  its  logical 
eense  as  substantially  meaning  since  these  things  are  so,  although 
such  a  departure  from  the  proper  import  of  the  word  is  by  no 
means  necessary.  The  other  adverb,  here,  admits  of  no  less 
various  explanations.  Some  older  writers  understand  it  to 
mean  heaven  as  the  customary  residence  of  God.  {1  Kings 
8  :  30.)  Some  suppose  it  to  mean  Babylon,  while  others,  with 
a  bolder  departure  from  the  strict  sense,  understand  it  as 
equivalent  to  iri  the  present  case,  viz.  that  of  the  Babylonian 
exile ;  which,  however,  even  if  correct  in  substance,  is  rather  a 
paraphrase  than  a  translation.  With  the  meaning  put  upon 
this  adverb  varies  the  interpretation  of  the  whole  phrase,  vjhat 
have  I  here  ?  If  here  means  in  Babylon,  the  sense  would  seem 
to  be,  what  else  have  I  to  do  here  but  to  free  ray  people  ?  If 
it  mean  in  heaven,  then  the  question  is,  what  is  there  to  detain 
me  here  from  going  to  the  rescue  of  my  people  ?  If  it  mean 
in  the  presetit  case,  whether  this  be  referred  to  the  Babylonish 
exile  or  more  generally  understood,  the  best  explanation  of  the 
question  is,  what  have  I  gained  in  tliis  case,  any  more  than  in 
the  others,  since  my  people  are  still  taken  from  mo  without 
any  compensation  ?  The  conclusion  implied,  though  not  ex- 
pressed, is  that  in  this  as  in  the  other  instances  referred  to,  a 
regard  to  his  own  honour,  metaphorically  represented  as  his 


CHAPTER   LIL  273 

interest,  requires  that  lie  should  interpose  for  the  deliverance 
of  his  people.  The  next  clause  likewise  has  been  very  vari- 
ously explained  Among  the  vast  majority  of  writers  who  re- 
tain the  common  meaning  of  the  word  translated  rulers,  the 
question  chieflj'  in  dispute  is  whether  it  denotes  the  native 
rulers  of  the  Jews  themselves,  as  in  ch.  28  :  14,  or  their  foreign 
oppressors,  as  in  ch.  49  :  7.  Most  interpreters,  however,  seem 
disposed  to  understand  it  as  meaning  his  foreign  oppressors. 
The  form  of  expression  in  the  last  clause  is  copied  by  Ezekiel 
(36  :  20,  23),  but  applied  to  a  diiferent  subject ;  and  from 
that  place,  rather  than  the  one  before  us,  the  Apostle  quotes  in 
Rom   2  :  24. 

6.  Therefore  (because  my  name  is  thus  blasphemed)  my  peo- 
ple shall  knoio  my  name ;  therefore  in  that  day  (shall  they  know) 
thai  I  am  he  that  said,  Behold  mc  !  The  exact  sense  of  the 
last  words  according  to  this  construction  is,  '  I  am  he  that 
spake  (or  promised)  a  Behold  me?'  To  know  the  name  of 
God,  is  to  know  his  nature  so  far  as  it  has  been  revealed  ;  and 
in  this  case  more  specifically,  it  is  to  know  that  the  name  blas- 
phemed among  the  wicked  was  deserving  of  the  highest  honour. 
The  second  therefore  is  to  be  regarded  pregnant  and  emphatic. 

7.  How  timely  on  the  mountains  are  the  feet  of  one  bringing  glad 
tidings,  publishing  peace,  bringing  glad  tidings  of  good,  publish- 
ing salvation,  saying  to  Zion,  Thy  God  reigneth.  The  verb  ^nsa 
means  to  be  suitable,  becoming,  opportune,  and  though  not  ap- 
plied to  time  in  either  of  the  two  cases  where  it  occurs  else- 
where, evidently  admits  of  such  an  application,  especially 
when  there  is  no  general  usage  to  forbid  it.  It  is  here  recom- 
mended by  the  context,  which  is  much  more  coherent  if  we 
understand  this  verse  as  intimating  that  the  help  appears  at 
the  very  juncture  when  it  is  most  needed,  than  if  we  take  it  as 
a  mere  expression  of  delight.     It  is  also  favoured  by  the  ana- 

12* 


274  CHAPTER  LI  I. 

logy  of  Nail.  1:15,  where  a  similar  connection  is  expressed  by 
the  word  nirt .  It  is  favoured  lastly  by  the  use  of  the  Greek 
word  (h(j(xioi.  in  Paul's  translation  of  the  verse  (Kom  10  ;  15), 
of  which  (3o«  in  our  copies  of  the  Septuagint  is  probably  a 
corruption.  This  Greek  word,  both  from  etymology  and  usage, 
most  explicitly  means  timely  or  seasonable,  although  sometimes 
employed  in  the  secondary  sense  of  beautiful  (Matt.  23  :  27. 
Acts  3  :  2),  like  the  Hebrew  ^nN!  (Cant.  1  :  10),  decor  us  in 
Latin,  and  becoviing  in  English.  The  mountains  meant  may 
be  the  mountains  round  Jerusalem,  or  the  word  may  be  more 
indefinitely  understood  as  adding  a  trait  to  the  prophetic 
picture.  The  word  ~itan?3  has  no  equivalent  in  English,  and 
must  therefore  be  expressed  by  a  periphrasis,  in  order  to  in- 
clude the  two  ideas  of  annunciation  and  the  joyful  character  of 
that  which  is  announced.  The  sense  is  perfectly  expressed  by 
the  Greek  ivayyEli'Q6!.iEvog,  but  our  derivatives,  evangelizing 
and  evangelist,  would  not  convey  the  meaning  to  an  English 
reader.  The  joyous  nature  of  the  tidings  brought  is  still 
more  definitely  intimated  in  the  next  clause  by  the  addition  of 
the  word  good,  which  is  not  explanatory  but  intensive.  The 
explanation  of  "itiJ?^  as  a  collective  referring  to  the  prophets, 
or  the  messengers  from  Babylonia  to  Jerusaleni,  is  perfectly 
gratuitous.  The  primary  application  of  the  term  is  to  the 
Messiah,  but  in  itself  it  is  indefinite  ;  and  Paul  is  therefore 
chargeable  with  no  misapplication  of  the  words  when  he  ap- 
plies them  to  the  preachers  of  the  gospel.  The  contents  of 
the  message  are  the  manifestation  of  the  reign  of  God,  the 
very  news  which  Christ  and  his  forerunner  published  when 
they  cried  saying,  The  kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand. 

8.  The  voice  of  thy  watchmen  !  They  raise  the  voice,  together 
will  they  shout ;  for  eye  to  eye  shall  they  see  in  Jehovah^ s  returning 
(i  e.  when  he  returns)  to  Zion.  The  first  clause  is  obviously  a 
poetical  apostrophe  or  exclamation.     The  second  clause  seems 


CHAPTER    LII.  275 

to  intimate  that  they  should  have  still  further  cause  to  shout 
hereafter  ;  they  have  already  raised  the  voice,  and  ere  long 
they  shall  all  shout  together.  Because  the  prophets  are  else- 
where represented  as  loaichmen  on  the  walls  of  Zion  (oh.  56  :  10. 
Jer.  6:17.  Ez.  3:17.  33  :  2,  7),  most  interpreters  attach  that 
meaning  to  the  figure  here  ;  but  the  restriction  is  unnecessary, 
since  the  application  of  a  metaphor  to  one  object  does  not  pre- 
clude its  application  to  another,  and  objectionable,  as  it  mars 
the  unity  and  beauty  of  the  scene  presented,  which  is  simply 
that  of  a  messenger  of  good  news  drawing  near  to  a  walled  town, 
whose  watchmen  take  up  and  repeat  his  tidings  to  the  people 
within.  The  phrase  eye  to  eye^  or  in  eye,  occurs  only  here  and 
in  Num.  14:14.  It  is  properly  descriptive  of  two  persons  so 
near  as  to  look  into  each  other's  eyes.  The  phrases /ace  to  face 
(Ex.  33  :  11)  and  mouth  to  mouth  (Num.  12  :  8)  are  kindred 
and  analogous,  but  not  identical  with  that  before  us.  They 
(i.  e.  the  people  of  Jerusalem  or  men  in  general)  shall  see. 
The  transitive  meaning  {restore  or  tiring  back)  ascribed  to  21tJ 
in  this  and  many  other  places  is  doubtful  and  disputed.  In 
this  case  the  proper  sense  is  not  only  appropriate  but  required 
by  the  context  and  the  analogy  of  other  places  in  which  the 
reconciliation  between  God  and  his  people  is  represented  as  vt 
return  after  a  long  absence.     (See  above,  on  ch.  4U  :  11.) 

9.  Burst  forth,  shout  together,  ruins  of  Jerusalem  !  For  Jeho- 
vah hath  comforted  his  people,  hath  redeemed  Jerusalem.  The 
phrase  to  burst  forth  into  shouting,  is  a  favourite  expression 
with  Isaiah  (see  above,  ch.  14  :  7.  44  :  23.  49  :  13,  and  below, 
ch.  54  :  1.  55  :  12)  ;  but  in  this  case  the  qualifying  noun  is  ex- 
changed for  its  verbal  root,  a  combination  which  occurs  else- 
where only  in  Ps.  98  :  4.  As  this  word  is  never  used  in  any 
other  connection,  and  therefore  denotes  only  this  one  kind  of 
bursting,  it  may  be  considered  as  involving  the  idea  of  the 
whole  phrase,  and   is  so  translated  in  the  English  Version 


216  CHAPTER    LI  I. 

{break  fortn  into  joy)  Together  may  either  mean  all  of  you^  or 
at  the  same  time  with  the  watchmen  mentioned  in  v.  8.  Such 
appeals  to  inanimate  objects  are  of  frequent  occurrence  in 
Isaiah.  (See  above,  ch.  44  :  23.  49  :  13,  and  below,  ch.  55  : 
12.)  The  translation  of  the  verbs  in  the  last  clause  as  pres- 
ents is  unnecessary  and  enfeebling,  as  it  takes  away  the  strong 
assurance  always  conveyed  by  the  prcBteritum  propheticmn.  See 
above,  on  ch.  49  ;  13. 

10,  Jehovah  hath  bared  his  holy  arm  to  the  eyes  of  all  the  na- 
tions^ and  all  thz  ends  of  the  earth  have  seen  the  salvation  of  our 
God.  The  allusion  in  the  first  clause  is  to  the  ancient  military 
practice  of  going  into  battle  with  the  right  arm  and  shoulder 
bare.  The  same  Hebrew  verb  is  used  in  the  same  application 
by  Ezekiel  (4  :  7).  The  baring  of  the  arm  may  be  mentioned 
as  a  preparation  for  the  conflict,  or  the  act  of  stretching  it 
forth  may  be  included.  The  bare  arm  is  here  in  contrast 
either  with  the  long  sleeves  of  the  female  dress,  or  with  the 
indolent  insertion  of  the  hand  into  the  bosom.  (Ps.  74  :  11  ) 
The  exertion  of  God's  power  is  elsewhere  expressed  by  the 
kindred  figure  of  a  great  hand  (Ex.  14  :  30),  a  strong  hand 
(Ez.  20  :  34),  or  a  hand  stretched  out  (Is.  9  :  11).  The  act 
here  described  is  the  same  that  is  described  in  ch  51  :  9.  The 
comparison  of  Jehovah  to  a  warrior  occurs  above  in  ch.  42  : 
13.  Jehovah's  arm  is  here  described  as  holy,  in  its  widest 
sense,  as  denoting  the  divine  perfection,  or  whatever  dis- 
tinguishes between  God  and  man,  perhaps  with  special  ref- 
erence to  his  power,  as  that  by  which  his  deity  is  most  fre- 
quently and  clearly  manifested  to  his  creatures.  Compare  this 
clause  with  ch.  18  :  3.  33  :  13,  and  Ps.  98  :  3,  where  it  is  re- 
peated word  for  word.  Another  coincidence  between  this  pas- 
sage of  Isaiah  and  that  Psalm  has  been  already  pointed  out  in 
expounding  the  foregoing  verse. 


CHAPTER    LII.  277 

11.  Away  I  aivay  !  go  out  from  thence  !  the  unclean  touch  not! 
come  ovt  from  the  midst  of  her  !  he  clean  (or  cleanse  yourselves)  yz 
armour-hearers  of  Jehovah  !  The  first  word  in  Hebrew  is  a  verb, 
and  literally  means  depart ;  but  there  is  something  peculiarly 
expressive  in  the  translation  of  it  by  an  adverb.  The  analogy 
of  ch.  48  :  20  seems  to  show  that  the  Prophet  had  the  depart- 
ure from  Babylon  in  view  ;  but  the  omission  of  the  name  here, 
and  of  any  allusion  to  that  subject  in  the  context,  forbids  the 
restriction  of  the  words  any  further  than  the  writer  has  him- 
self restricted  them.  The  whole  analogy  of  language  and  es- 
pecially of  poetical  composition  shows  that  Babylon  is  no  more 
the  exclusive  object  of  the  writer's  contemplation  than  the  local 
Zion  and  the  literal  Jerusalem  in  many  of  the  places  where 
those  names  are  mentioned.  Like  other  great  historical  events, 
particularly  such  as  may  be  looked  upon  as  critical  conjunc 
tures,  the  deliverance  becomes  a  type,  not  only  to  the  prophet, 
but  to  the  poet  and  historian,  not  by  any  arbitrary  process,  but 
by  a  spontaneous  association  of  ideas.  As  sofhe  names,  even  in 
our  own  day,  have  acquired  a  generic  meaning  and  become  de- 
scriptive of  a  whole  class  of  events,  so  in  the  earliest  authentic 
history,  the  Flood,  the  Fall  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  the  Exo- 
dus, the  Babylonish  Exile,  are  continually  used  as  symbols  of 
divine  interposition  both  in  wrath  and  mercy.  There  is  no  in- 
consistency whatever,  therefore,  in  admitting  that  the  Prophet 
has  the  exodus  from  Babylon  in  view,  and  yet  maintaining  that 
his  language  has  a  far  more  extensive  scope.  The  sense  of  ar- 
mour-bearers is  not  only  in  the  highest  degree  suitable  to  the 
idea  of  a  solemn  march,  but  strongly  recommended  by  the  fact 
that  the  same  Hebrew  phrase  in  historical  prose  is  the  appro- 
priated title  of  an  armour-bearer.  (See  1  Sam.  14:  1,  6,  7.  16: 
21.)  At  the  same  time  the  mention  of  the  sacred  vessels  would 
scarcely  be  omitted  in  the  description  of  this  new  exodus  Both 
explanations  may  be  blended  without  any  violation  of  usage, 
and  with  great  advantage  to  the  beauty  of  the  passage,  by  sup- 


278  CHAPTER    LI  1. 

ponng  an  allusion  to  the  mixture  of  the  martial  and  the  sacer- 
dotal in  the  whole  organization  of  the  host  of  Israel  during  the 
journey  through  the  wilderness.  Not  even  iu  the  crusades 
were  the  priest  and  soldier  brought  so  near  together,  and  so 
mingled,  not  to  say  identified,  as  in  the  long  march  of  the  cho- 
sen people  from  the  Red  Sea  to  the  Jordan.  By  applying  this 
key  to  the  case  before  us,  we  obtain  the  grand  though  blended 
image  of  a  march  and  a  procession,  an  army  and  a  church,  a 
"  sacramental  host"  bearing  the  sacred  vessels  not  as  Priests  and 
Levites  merely,  but  as  the  armour-bearers  of  Jehovah^  the  weap- 
ons of  whose  warfare,  though  not  carnal,  are  mighty  to  the 
pulling  down  of  strong  holds.  (2  Cor.  10  :  4.)  With  this  com- 
prehensive exposition  of  the  clause  agi-ees  the  clear  and  settled 
usage  of  the  word  in  the  wide  sense  of  implemeyits,  including 
weapons  on  the  one  hand  and  vessels  on  the  other.  The  ap- 
plication of  the  terms  of  this  verse  by  John  to  the  spiritual 
Babylon  (Rev.  18  :  4),  so  far  from  standing  in  the  way  of  the 
enlarged  interpretation  above  given,  really  confirms  it  by  show- 
ing that  the  language  of  the  prophecy  is  suited  to  express  far 
more  than  the  literal  exodus  of  Israel  from  Babylon. 

12.  For  not  in  haste  shall  ye  go  out,  and  in  flight  ye  shall  not 
depart ;  for  going  bfore  you,  {is)  Jehovah,  and  bringing  up  your 
rear  the  God  of  Israel.  This  verse  is  crowded  with  allusions  to 
the  earlier  history  of  Israel,  some  of  which  consist  in  the  adap- 
tation of  expressions  with  which  the  Hebrew  reader  was  famil- 
iar, but  which  must  of  course  be  lost  in  a  translation.  Thus 
the  hasty  departure  out  of  Egypt  is  not  only  recorded  as  a  fact 
in  the  Mosaic  history  (Ex.  11  :  1.  12  :  33,  39),  but  designated 
by  the  very  term  here  used  (Ex.  12  :  11.  Deut.  16  :  3),  meaning 
terrified  and  sudden  flight.  There  is  likewise  an  obvious  allu- 
sion to  the  cloudy  pillar  going  sometimes  before  and  someiimes 
behind  the  host  (Ex.  14  :  19,  20),  and  possibly  to  Moses'  poeti- 
cal description  of  Jehovah  as  encompassing  Israel  with  his 


CHAPTER   LII.  279 

protection  (Deut.  32 :  10).  These  minute  resemblances  are 
rendered  still  more  striking  by  the  distinction  which  the 
Prophet  makes  between  the  two  events.  The  former  exodus 
was  hurried  and  disorderly  ;  the  one  here  promised  shall  be 
solemn  and  deliberate.  The  connection  of  the  verse  with  that 
before  it  may  be  easily  ex[ilained.  The  for,  as  in  many  other 
cases,  has  relation  to  an  intermediate  thought  which  may  be 
easily  supplied  though  not  expressed.  Or  rather,  it  has  refer- 
ence to  the  promise,  implied  in  the  preceding  exhortation,  of 
protection  and  security.  From  this  verse,  taken  in  connection 
with  the  one  before  it,  we  may  derive  a  confirmation  of  our  pre- 
vious conclusions;  first,  that  the  image  there  presented  is  a  mil- 
itary no  less  than  a  prie.-tly  one  ;  and  secondly,  that  this  whole 
passage  has  a  wider  scope  and  higher  theme  than  the  deliver- 
ance from  Babylon,  because  the  latter  is  no  more  vividly  exhib- 
ited t>  view  than  the  deliverance  from  Egypt  ;  and  if  this  is  a 
mere  emblem,  so  may  that  be,  nay  it  must  be,  when  we  add  to 
the  consideration  just  presented,  the  result  of  the  inductive 
process  hitherto  pursued  in  the  interpretation  of  these  prophe- 
cies, viz.  that  -the  deliverance  of  Israel  from  exile  does  not  con- 
stitute the  theme  of  the  predictions,  but  is  simply  one  remark- 
able historico-prophetical  example  which  the  Prophet  cites  in 
illustration  of  his  general  teachings  as  to  the  principle  and 
mode  of  the  Divine  administration,  and  his  special  predictions 
of  a  great  and  glorious  change  to  be  connected  with  the  abro- 
gation of  the  old  economy. 

13.  Behold,  my  servant  shall  do  ivisehj,  (and  as  a  necessary 
consequence)  shall  rise  and  be  exalted  and  high  exceedingly.  The 
parenthesis  introduced  to  show  the  true  relation  of  the  clauses 
serves  at  the  same  time  to  preclude  the  necessity  of  giving  the 
nebrew  verb  the  doubtful  and  secondary  sense  of  prospering. 
The  parallel  expressions  are  not  synonymous  but  simply  correl- 
ative, the  mutual  relation  being  that  of  cause  and  effect.     He 


280  CHAPTER    LII. 

shall  be  exalted  because  he  shall  act  wisely,  in  the  highest  sense, 
i.e.  shall  use  the  best  means  for  the  attainment  of  the  highest  end. 
not  merely  as  a  possible  result,  but  as  a  necessary  consequence. 
We  have  no  right,  however,  to  substitute  the  one  for  the  other, 
or  to  merge  the  primary  idea  in  its  derivative.  The  version  of 
the  Septuagint  (auir^ati)  and  the  Vulgate  [inteUigrt)  is  only  de- 
fective because  it  makes  the  verb  denote  the  possession  of  in- 
telligence, and  not  its  active  exercise,  which  is  required  by  the 
Hiphil  form  and  by  the  connection,  as  well  here  as  in  the  par- 
allel passage,  Jer.  23  :  5.  (Compare  1  Kings  2  :  3.)  Connect- 
ed with  this  verse  there  are  two  exegetical  questions  which  are 
famous  as  the  subject  of  dispute  among  interpreters.  The  first 
and  least  important  has  respect  to  the  division  and  arrange- 
ment of  the  text,  viz.  whether  this  verse  is  to  be  connected  with 
what  goes  before,  or  separated  from  it  and  regarded  as  the  in- 
troduction of  a  new  subject.  The  former  method  is  adopted  in 
the  older  vei'sions  and  in  the  masoretic  Hebrew  text.  The  lat- 
ter was  pursued  in  the  ancient  distribution  of  the  book,  with 
which  the  Fathers  were  familiar,  and  has  been  adopted  in  our 
own  day  by  most  writers  on  Isaiah.  The  only  satisfactory 
method,  as  we  have  already  seen,  is  to  regard  the  whole  as  a 
continuous  composition,  and  to  recognize  the  usual  division  into 
chapters,  simply  because  it  is  familiar  and  on  the  whole  conve- 
nient, although  sometimes  very  injudicious  and  erroneous. 
According  to  this  view  of  the  matter,  the  precise  distribution 
of  the  chapters  is  of  no  more  importance  than  that  of  the  para- 
graphs in  any  modern  book,  which  may  sometimes  facilitate  and 
sometimes  hinder  its  convenient  perusal,  but  can  never  be  re- 
garded as  authoritative  in  determining  the  sense.  In  the  case 
immediately  before  us,  it  is  proper  to  resist  the  violent  division 
of  the  chapter ;  because  when  read  in  its  natural  connection,  it 
shows  how  easy  the  transition  was  from  the  foregoing  promise 
of  deliverance  to  the  description  of  the  Servant  of  Jehovah  as 
the  leader  of  the  grand  march  just  described,  and  confirms  our 


CHAPTER   LII.  281 

previous  conclusions  as  to  the  exalted  meaning  of  the  promises 
in  question,  and  against  a  forced  restriction  of  them  to  the 
Babylonish  exile.  At  the  same  time  it  is  equally  important 
that  the  intimate  connection  of  these  verses  with  the  following 
chapter  should  be  fully  recognized,  in  order  that  the  Servant  of 
the  Lord,  whose  humiliation  and  exaltation  are  here  mentioned, 
may  be  identified  with  that  mysterious  person  whose  expiatory 
sufferings  and  spiritual  triumphs  form  the  great  theme  of  the 
subsequent  context.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  the  meaning  of 
the  whole  passage,  to  tlie  end  of  the  fifty-third  chapter,  turns 
upon  th&  question,  Who  is  meant  by  my  servant  in  the  verse 
before  us  1  An  individual  or  a  collective  body  1  If  the  latter, 
is  it  Israel  as  a  whole,  or  its  better  portion,  or  the  Prophets,  or 
the  Priesthood  1  If  the  former,  is  it  Moses,  Abraham,  Uzziah, 
Josiah,  Jeremiah,  Cyrus,  an  anonymous  prophet,  the  author 
himself,  or  the  Messiah  1  This  is  the  other  exegetical  question 
which  has  been  referred  to,  as  connected  with  this  verse  and 
materially  affecting  the  interpretation  of  the  whole  passage. 
The  answer  to  this  question,  which  at  once  suggests  itself  as 
the  result  of  all  our  previous  inquiries,  is  that  the  Servant  of 
Jehovah  here,  as  in  ch.  42  :  1-6  and  ch.  49  :  1-9,  is  the  Mes- 
siah, but  presented  rather  in  his  own  personality  than  in  con- 
junction with  his  people.  According  to  the  rule  ali-eady 
stated,  the  idea  of  the  Body  here  recedes,  and  that  of  the 
Head  becomes  exclusively  conspicuous  ;  because,  as  we  shall 
see  below,  the  Servant  of  Jehovah  is  exhibited,  not  merely  as  a 
teacher  or  a  ruler,  but  as  an  expiatory  sacrifice.  This  applica- 
tion of  the  verse  and  the  whole  passage  to  the  Messiah  was  held 
by  the  oldest  school  of  Jewish  interpreters.  In  its  favour  may 
be  urged,  besides  the  tradition  of  the  synagogue  and  church, 
the  analogy  of  the  other  places  where  the  Servant  of  Jehovah 
is  mentioned,  the  wonderful  agreement  of  the  terms  of  the  pre- 
diction with  the  character  and  history  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the 
express  application  of  the  passage  to  him  by  himself  and  his  in- 


282  CHAPTER   LI  I. 

spired  apostles,  who  appear  to  have  assumed  it  as  the  basis  of 
their  doctrine  with  respect  to  the  atonement,  and  to  have  quoted 
it  comparatively  seldom  only  because  they  had  it  constantly  ia 
view,  as  appears  from  their  numerous  allusions  to  it,  and  the 
perfect  agreement  of  their  teachings  with  it.  The  detailed 
proofs  of  the  Messianic  exposition  will  be  given  in  the  course 
of  the  interpretation.  In  the  verse  immediately  before  us  all 
that  need  be  added  is,  that  the  extraordinary  exaltation  prom- 
ised in  the  last  clause  is  such  as  could  never  have  been  looked 
for  by  the  Prophet,  for  himself  or  for  his  order,  especially  upon 
the  Tnodern  supposition,  that  he  lived  in  the  time  of  the  exile, 
when  the  grounds  for  such  an  expectation  were  far  less  than  at 
any  former  period.  The  objection,  that  the  title  servant  is  not 
applied  elsewhere  to  Messiah,  would  have  little  force  if  true, 
because  the  title  in  itself  is  a  general  one  and  may  be  applied 
to  any  chosen  instrument  It  is  not  true,  however,  as  the  single 
case  of  Zech  3  :  8  will  suffice  to  show,  without  appealing  to  the 
fact  that  the  same  application  of  the  title,  either  partial  or  ex- 
clusive, has  been  found  admissible  above  in  ch.  42:  1.  49  :  3, 
and  50  :  10. 

14,  15.  As  many  were  shocked  at  thee — so  marred  from  man  his 
look,  and  his  form  from  the  sons  of  man — .so  shall  he  sprinkle  many 
nations;  concerning  him  shall  kings  stop  their  mouth,  because  what 
was  not  recounted  to  them  they  have  seen,  and  what  they  had  not 
heard  they  have  perceived.  His  exaltation  shall  bear  due  pro- 
portion to  his  humiliation ;  the  contempt  of  men  shall  be 
exchanged  for  wonder  and  respect.  According  to  the  common 
agreement  of  interpreters,  v.  14  is  the  protasis  and  v.  15  the 
apodosis  of  the  same  sentence,  the  correlative  clauses  being 
introduced,  as  usual  in  cases  of  comparison,  by  as  and  so.  The 
construction  is  somewhat  embarrassed  by  the  intervening  so  at 
the  beginning  of  the  last  clause  of  v.  14,  which  most  interpreters 
however  treat  as  a  parenthesis  explanatory  of  the  first  clause  : 


CHAPTER    LII.  283 

'  as  many  were  shocked  at  thee — because  his  countenance  was 
so  marred,  etc.  so  shall  he  sprinkle  many  nations,'  etc.  A 
simpler  construction,  though  it  does  not  yield  so  clear  a  sense, 
would  be  to  assume  a  double  apodosis :  '  as  many  were  shocked 
at  thee,  so  was  his  countenance  marred,  etc.,  so  also-^hall  he 
sprinkle,'  etc.  As  thus  explained  the  sense  would  be,  their 
abliorrence  of  him  was  not  without  reason  and  it  shall  not 
be  without  requital.  The  first  verb  expresses  a  mixture  of 
surprise,  contempt,  and  aversion  ;  it  is  frequently  applied  to 
extraordinary  instances  of  suffering  when  viewed  as  divine 
judgments.  (Lev.  26  :  32.  Ezek.  27  :  35.  Jer.  18:16.  19:8.) 
Many  does  not  mean  all,  nor  is  nations  to  be  anticipated  from 
the  other  clause  ;  there  seems  to  be  rather  an  antithesis  between 
many  individuals  and  many  nations.  As  a  single  people  had 
despised  him,  so  the  whole  world  should  admire  him.  By  look 
and  form  we  are  neither  to  understand  a  mean  condition  nor 
the  personal  appearance,  but  as  an  intermediate  idea,  the  visible 
effects  of  suffering.  The  idiomatic  phrase  //•o??i  ??i«??,  may  be 
taken  simply  as  expressive  of  comparison  {more  than  other  men),  or 
more  emphatically  of  negation  [so  as  not  to  be  huma?i),  which  are 
only  different  gradations  of  the  same  essential  meaning.  n;n  is  a 
technical  term  of  the  Mosaic  law  for  sprinkling  water,  oil,  or 
blood,  as  a  purifying  rite.  This  is  a  description,  at  the  very 
outset,  of  the  Servant  of  Jehovah  as  an  expiatory  purifier,  one 
who  must  be  innocent  himself  in  order  to  cleanse  others,  an 
office  and  a  character  alike  inapplicable  either  to  the  prophets 
as  a  class,  or  to  Israel  as  a  nation,  or  even  to  the  better  class 
of  Jews,  much  more  to  any  single  individual  except  the  One 
who  claimed  to  be  the  Purifier  of  the  guilty,  and  to  whom  many 
nations  do  at  this  day  ascribe  whatever  purity  of  heart  or  life 
they  either  have  or  hope  for.  The  next  clause  is  understood 
by  some  to  mean  that  they  shall  be  reverently  silent  before  him, 
by  others  that  they  shall  be  dumb  with  wonder  on  account  of 
him,  by  others  that  they  shall  be  silent  respecting  him,  i.  e,  no 


284  CHAPTER    LIII. 

longer  utter  expressions  of  aversion  or  contempt.  The  reason 
of  this  voluntary  humiliation  is  expressed  in  the  last  clause,  viz. 
because  they  see  things  of  which  they  had  never  had  experience 
or  even  knowledge  by  rejjort.  This  expression  shows  that  many 
nations  must  be  taken  in  its  natural  and  proper  sense,  as  denoting 
Llie  gentiles.  It  is  accordingly  applied  by  Paul  (Rom.  15:21) 
to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  among  those  who  had  never  before 
lieard  it.  Interpreters  have  needlessly  refined  in  interpreting 
tlie  verb  sec  as  signifying  mental  no  less  than  bodily  perception. 
Tlie  truth  is  that  the  language  is  not  scientific  but  poetical ; 
the  writer  does  not  put  sight  for  experience,  but  on  the  con- 
trary describes  experience  as  simple  vision.  For  the  stopping 
of  the  mouth,  as  an  expression  of  astonishment  or  reverence, 
see  Job  29  :  9.    40  :  4.    Ps.  107  :  42.    Ezek.  16 :  63.    Mic.  7  :  16. 


CHAPTER    LIII. 


Notwithstanding  these  and  other  prophecies  of  the  Messiah, 
he  is  not  recognized  when  he  appears,  v.  1.  He  is  not  the 
object  of  desire  and  trust  for  whom  the  great  mass  of  the  people 
have  been  waiting-,  v.  2.  Nay,  his  low  condition,  and  especially 
his  sufferings,  make  him  rather  an  object  of  contempt,  v.  3. 
But  this  humiliation  and  these  sufferings  are  vicarious,  not 
accidental  or  incurred  by  his  own  fault,  vs.  4-6.  Hence,  though 
personally  innocent,  he  is  perfectly  unresisting,  v.  7.  Even 
they  for  whom  he  sufi"ers  may  mistake  his  person  and  his  ofiice, 
V.  8.  His  case  presents  the  two  extremes  of  righteous  punish- 
ment and  perfect  innocence,  v.  9.  But  the  glorious  fiuit  of 
these  very  sufferings  will  correct  all  errors,  v.  10.  He  becomes 
a  Saviour  only  by  becoming  a  substitute,  v.  11.     Even  after  the 


CHAPTER   LIII.  286 

work  of  expiation  is  completed  and  his  glorious  reward  secured, 
the  work  of  iutereessiou  will  be  still  continued,  v.'  12. 

1.  Who  hath  believed  our  report?  and  the  arm  of  Jehovah,  to 
whom  (or  upon  lohom)  has  it  been  revealed?  nsiTO'iJ  is  properly 
the  passive  participle  of  the  verb  to  hear,  the  femiuiue  being 
used  like  the  neuter  in  Greek  and  Latin  to  denote  what  is  heard, 
and  may  therefore  be  applied  to  rumour,  to  instruction,  or  to 
speech  in  general.  (See  ch.  28:9.  19.  Jer.  49:  14,  and  com- 
pare the  Greek  (ixoij,  Eom.  10:  16.  Gal.  3:2.  1  Thess  2:  13.) 
The  restricted  application  of  tlie  term  to  the  news  of  the 
deliverance  from  Babylon  is  quite  gratuitous.  Some  under- 
stand the  whole  phrase  passively,  as  meaning  '  that  which  we 
h'Rve  heard  ;'  others  understand  it  actively,  as  meaning  that 
which  we  have  published  in  the  hearing  of  others ;  which 
agrees  well  with  the  context  and  with  Paul's  quotation  (Rom, 
10:  IG),  and  is  perfectly  consistent  with  the^ strict  sense  of 
the  Hebrew  words,  though  not  sustained  by  any  definite 
usage.  That  the  words  might  have  either  of  these  senses 
in  diiFerent  connections,  may  be  gathered  from  the  fact,  that  in 
2  Sam.  4  :  4,  the  qualifying  noun  denotes  neither  the  author 
nor  the  recipient  of  the  declaration,  but  its  subject,  so  thut  in 
itself  the  phrase  is  quite  indefinite;  The  implied  negation  is 
not  absolute,  but  simply  expressive  of  wonder  at  the  paucity  of 
true  believers  in  the  world  at  large,  but  more  especially  among 
the  Jews,  to  whom  some  understand  the  passage  as  specifically 
referring,  because  it  had  already  been  predicted,  in  the  fore- 
going verse,  that  the  heathen  would  believe.  There  is  no  incon- 
sistency, however,  even  if  we  take  the  words  before  us  in  their 
widest  sense ;  because,  as  Calvin  has  observed,  the  Prophet  inter- 
rupts his  prediction  of  success  and  triumph  to  bewail  the  dis- 
couragements and  disappointments  which  should  intervene. 
The  same  thing  had  already  been  predicted  indirectly  in 
cb.  42 ;  24,  and  similar  objections  to  his  own  assurances  occur 


286  CHAPTEE,  LIII. 

in  ch.  49  :  14,  24.  The  two  clauses  are  parallel  expressions  of 
the  same  idea  ;  to  believe  what  God  said,  and  to  see  his  arm 
revealed,  being'ideutical.  The  advent  of  Christ,  his  miracles, 
his  resurrection,  his  aecession,  are  among  the  clearest  proofs  of 
the  divine  omnipotence  and  of  its  real  exercise,  a  skeptical  mis- 
giving as  to  which  is  involved  in  a  refusal  to  believe.  The 
arm  as  the  seat  of  active  strength  is  often  put  for  strength 
itself  (2  Chr.  32  :  8.  Jer.  17  :  5),  and  especially  for  the 
power  of  Jehovah  (ch.  59:  16.  Deut.  4  :  34.  5  :  15.  26  :  8).  The 
manifestation  of  God's  justice  is  commonly  described  by  Isaiah 
as  including  at  the  same  time  the  deliverance  of  his  friends  and 
the  destruction  of  his  enemies.     (See  above,  ch.  51  :  5.) 

2.  And  he  came  up  like,  the  tender  plant  before  him,  and  like  the 
root  J  rovi  a  dry  ground ;  he  had  no  form  nor  comeliness,  and  [ivheii) 
we  shall  see  him,  no  sight  (or  appearance)  that  ice  should  desire  it. 
Most  of  the  modern  writers  make  all  that  follows  the  first  verse 
the  language  of  the  people  acknowledging  their  own  incredulity 
with  respect  to  the  Messiah,  and  assigning  as  its  cause  their  car- 
nal expectations  of  a  temporal  prince,  and  their  ignorance  of 
the  very  end  for  which  he  came.  The  common  version  he  shall 
grow  up  is  ungrammatical  and  gratuitously  violates  the  uniform- 
ity of  the  description,  which  presents  the  humiliation  of  Messiah 
as  already  past.  Out  of  a  dry  ground  implies  a  feeble  sickly 
growth,  and  as  its  consequence  a  mean  appearance.  Out  of  a 
dry  ground  and  the  parallel  expression  [before  him)  may  be  con- 
sidered as  qualifying  both  the  nouns,  and  separated  only  for 
the  sake  of  the  rhythmical  arrangement  of  the  sentence.  He 
had  not,  literally,  there  was  not  to  him,  the  only  form  in  which 
that  idea  can  be  expressed  in  Hebrew.  Form  is  here  put  for 
beautiful  or  handsome  form;  as  in  1  Sam.  16:  18,  David  is 
called  a  man  of  form,  i.  e.  a  comely  person.  The  two  nouns 
here  used  are  combined  in  literal  description  elsewhere  (e.  g. 
Gen.  29:  17.     1  Sam.  25  :  3),  and  in  this  very  passage  (see 


CHAPTER   LIU.  28Y 

above,  ch.  52  :  14).  They  denote  in  this  case,  not  mere  per- 
sonal appearance,  but  the  whole  state  of  humiliation.  In  what 
sense  thfe^  prophets  thus  grew  up  like  suckers  from  a  dry  soil,  or 
the^'Jewish  nation  while  in  exile,  or  tire  pious  portion  of  them, 
or  the-'jounger  race,  it  is  as  difficult  to  understand,  or  even  to 
conceive,  as  it  is  easy  to  recognize  this  trait  of  the  prophetic 
picture  in  the  humiliation  of  our  Saviour,  and  the  general  con- 
tempt to  which  it  exposed  him. 

3.  Despised  and  forsaken  of  men  (or  ceasiyig  from  among  men), 
a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  zvitk  sickness,  and  like  one  hid- 
ing the  face  from  him  (or  «.?),  despised,  a?id  ive  esteemed  him  not. 
From  the  general  description  of  his  humiliation,  the  Prophet 
now  passes  to  a  more  particular  account  of  his  sufferings.  The 
phrase  man  of  sorrows  seems  to  mean  one  whose  afflictions  are 
his  chief  characteristic,  perhaps  with  an  allusion  to  their  num- 
ber in  tlie  plural  form.  Like  one  hiding  Jiis  face  from  us, 
or  like  a  hiding  of  the  face  from  us,  i.  e.  as  if  he  hid  his  face 
from  us  in  shame  and  sorrow.  Here  again  the  reader  is  invited 
to  compare  the  forced  application  of  this  verse  to  the  Proph- 
ets, to  all  Israel,  to  the  pious  Jews,  or  to  the  younger  race  of 
exiles,  with  the  old  interpretation  of  it  as  a  prophecy  of  Christ's 
humiliation. 

4.  Surely  our  sicknesses  he  hare,  and  our  griefs  he  carried ;  and 
we  thought  him  stricken,  smitten  of  God,  and  nfiicted.  The  meta- 
phor is  that  of  a  burden,  and  the  meaning  of  the  whole  verse, 
that  they  had  misunderstood  the  very  end  for  which  Messiah 
was  to  come.  Sickness,  as  in  the  verse  preceding,  is  a  repre- 
sentative expression  for  all  suffering.  Our  griefs,  those  which 
we  must  otherwise  have  suffered,  and  that  justly.  Henderson 
makes  his  English  version  more  expressive  of  the  writer's  main 
drift  by  employing  the  idiomatic  form,  it  was  our  griefs  he  bore, 
it  was  our  sorrows  he  carried.     The  explanation  of  Nir:  as  mean- 


288  CHAPTER    LIII. 

ing  merely  took  aioay.  is  contradicted  by  the  context  and  espe- 
cially by  the  parallel  phrase,  which  can  only  mean  he  bore  or 
carried  them.  It  is  alleged  indeed  that  one  is  never  said  to 
bear  the  sins  of  another,  and  some  go  so  far  as  to  explain  these 
words  as  meaning  that  he  bore  with  them  patiently,  while 
others  understand  the  sense  to  be  that  he  shared  in  the  suffer- 
ings of  others.  The  terms  are  evidently  drawn  from  the 
Mosaic  law  of  sacrifice,  a  prominent  feature  in  which  is  the 
substitution  of  the  victim  for  the  actual  offender,  so  that  the 
former  bears  the  sins  of  the  latter,  and  the  latter,  in  default  of 
such  an  expiation,  is  said  to  bear  his  own  sin.  (See  Lev.  5:1, 
17.  17:  16.  24:  15.  Num.  9  :  13.  14  :  33.  Ex.  23:  38.  Lev.  10: 
17.  16  :  22.)  For  the  use  of  the  parallel  term  in  the  same 
vicarious  sense,  see  Lam.  5  :  7.  (Compare  Ez.  18  :  19.)  The 
application  of  these  words  by  Matthew  (8  :  17)  to  the  removal 
of  bodily  diseases  cannot  involve  a  denial  of  the  doctrine  of 
vicarious  atonement,  which  is  clearly  recognized  in  Matt.  20  : 
28  ;  nor  is  it  an  exposition  of  the  passage  quoted  in  its  full 
sense,  but,  as  Calvin  well  explains  it,  an  intimation  that  the 
prediction  had  begun  to  be  fulfilled,  because  already  its  effects 
were  visible,  the  Scriptures  always  representing  sorrow  as  the 
fruit  of  sin.  Sli-'icken,  as  in  some  other  cases,  has  the  preg- 
nant sense  of  stricken  from  above,  or  smitten  of  God.  as  it  is  fully 
expressed  in  the  next  clause.  (See  Gen.  12  :  17.  2  Kings  15  : 
5.  1  Sam  6:9.)  The  verb  translated  afflicted  was  particularly 
applied  to  the  infliction  of  disease  (Num.  14  :  12.  Deut.-  23  : 
22),  especially  the  leprosy.  Hence  the  old  Jewish  notion  that 
the  Messiah  was  to  be  a  leper. 

5.  And  he  was  pierced  (or  ivounded)  for  our  transgressions, 
bruised  (or  crushed)  for  our  iniquities  ;  the  chastisement  (or  ptmish- 
ment)  of  our  jjeace  (^was)  upon  him,  and  by  his  stripes  we  were 
healed.  There  may  be  a  secondary  and  implicit  reference  to 
the  crucifixion,  such  as  we  have  met  with  repeatedly  before  in 


CHAPTER   LIII.  289 

cases  where  the  direct  and  proper  meaning  of  the  woids  was 
more  extensive.  The  chastisement  of  peace  is  not  only  that 
which  tends  to  peace,  but  that  by  which  peace  is  procured 
directly.  It  is  not  merely  a  chastisement  morally  salutary  for 
us.  nor  one  which  merely  contributes  to  our  safety,  but,  accord- 
ing to  the  parallelism,  one  which  has  accomplished  our  salva- 
tion, and  in  this  way,  that  it  was  inflicted  not  on  us  but  on  him, 
so  that  we  came  off  safe  and  uninjured.  The  application  of  the 
phrase  to  Christ,  without  express  quotation,  is  of  frequent  occur- 
rence in  the  New  Testament.  (See  Eph.  2  :  14-17.  Col.  1  :  20, 
21.  Heb.  L3:  20,  and  compare  Isaiah  9:  6.  Mic.  6:  5.  Zech.  1 : 
13  )  The  word  translated  stripes  is  properly  a  singular,  denot- 
ing the  tumour  raised  by  scourging,  here  put  collectively  for 
stripes,  and  that  for  suffering  in  general,  but  probably  with 
secondary  reference  to  the  literal  infliction  of  this  punishment 
upon  the  Saviour.  We  ■icere  healed^  literally,  it  was  healed  to  us. 
It  teas  haled  is  a  general  proposition  ;  with  respect  to  us  is 
the  specific  limitation.  Healing  is  a  natural  and  common 
figure  for  relief  from  suffering  considered  as  a  wound  or 
malady.  (Compare  ch.  6  :  10.  19  :  22,  30  :  26.  Jer.  8  :  22,  17. 
2  Chron.  7  :  14.)  The  preterite  is  not  used  merely  to  signify 
the  certainty  of  the  event,  but  because  this  effect  is  considered 
as  inseparable  from  the  procuring  cause  which  had  been  just 
before  described  in  the  historical  or  parrative  form  as  an 
event  already  past :  when  he  was  smitten  we  were  thereby 
healed.  It  is  therefore  injurious  to  the  strength  as  well  as  to 
the  beauty  of  the  sentence  to  translate  it,  tJiat  by  his  stripes  we 
miffht  be  healed.  The  mere  contingency  thus  stated  is  immeas- 
urably less  than  the  positive  assertion  that  bt/  his  stripes  toe 
were  healed.  The  same  objection,  in  a  less  degree,  applies  to 
the  common  version,  we  are  healed^  which  makes  the  statement 
too  indefinite,  and  robs  it  of  its  peculiar  historical  form. 

6.  All  we  like  sheep  had  gone  astray^  each  to  his  own  way  we 
VOL.  11. — 13 


290  CHAPTER  LIIl. 

had  turned,  and  Jehovah  laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all.  This 
verse  describes  the  occasion  or  rather  the  necessity  of  the  suf- 
ferings mentioned  in  those  before  it.  It  was  because  men  were 
wholly  estranged  from  God,  and  an  atonement  was  required 
for  their  reconciliation.  All  ive  does  not  mean  all  the  Jews 
or  all  the  heathen,  but  all  men  without  exception.  The  com- 
mon version,  have  gone  astray,  have  turned,  does  not  express 
the  historical  form  of  the  original  sufficiently,  but  rather  means 
we  have  done  so  up  to  the  present  time,  whereas  the  prominent 
idea  in  the  Prophet's  mind  is  that  we  had  done  so  before 
Messiah  suffered.  The  figure  of  wandering  or  lost  sheep  is 
common  in  Scripture  to  denote  alienation  from  God  and  the 
misery  which  is  its  necessary  consequence.  (See  Ezek.  34  :  5. 
Matt.  9  :  36.)  The  entire  comparison  is  probably  that  of 
sheep  without  a  shepherd  (1  Kings  22  :  17.  Zech.  10  :  2). 
The  original  expression  is  like  the  sheep  (or  collectively  the 
flock)  i.  e.  not  sheep  in  general  but  the  sheep  that  wander  or 
have  no  shepherd.  The  idea  of  a  shepherd,  although  not  ex- 
pressed, appears  to  have  been  present  to  the  writer's  mind,  not 
only  in  the  first  clause  but  the  last,  where  the  image  meant  to 
be  presented  is  no  doubt  that  of  a  shepherd  laying  down  his 
life  for  the  sheep.  This  may  be  fairly  inferred  not  merely 
from  the  want  of  connection  which  would  otherwise  exist  be- 
tween the  clauses,  and  which  can  only  be  supplied  in  this  way, 
nor  even  from  the  striking  analogy  of  Zech.  13:7  where  the 
figure  is  again  used,  but  chiefly  from  the  application  of  the 
metaphor  in  the  New  Testament,  with  obvious  though  tacit 
reference  to  this  part  of  Isaiah,  to  Christ's  laying  down  his  life 
for  his  people.  (See  John  10:  11-18  and  1  Peter  2:  24,  25.) 
The  meaning  given  to  the  last  verb  in  the  margin  of  the  Eng- 
lish Bible  {made  to  meet)  is  not  sustained  by  etymology  or 
usage,  as  the  primitive  verb  does  not  mean  simply  to  come  to- 
gether, but  always  denotes  some  degree  of  violent  collision, 
either  physical,  as  when  one  body  lights  or  strikes  upon  an- 


CHAPTER    LIII.  291 

other,  or  moral,  as  when  one  person  falls  upon  i,  e.  attacks 
another.  The  secondary  senses  of  the  verb  are  doubtful  and 
of  rare  occurrence.  (See  above,  on  ch.  47  :  3,  and  below  on 
ch.  64  :  4  )  The  common  version  {laid  wpon  him)  is  objection- 
able only  because  it  is  too  weak,  and  suggests  the  idea  of  a 
mild  and  inoifensive  gesture,  whereas  that  conveyed  by  the 
Hebrew  word  is  necessarily  a  violent  one,  viz.  that  of  causing 
to  strike  or  fall.  If  vicarious  suffering  can  be  described  in 
words,  it  is  so  described  in  these  two  verses.  Compare 
Rom.  4  :  25.  2  Cor.  5  :  21.   1  Pet.  2  :  22-25. 

7.  He  teas  oppressed  and  he  humbled  himself^  and  he  will  not 
open  his  mouth — as  a  lamb  to  the  slatighter  is  brought,  and  as  a 
sheep  before  its  shearers  is  dumb — aiid  he  will  not  open  his  mouth. 
Having  explained  the  occasion  of  Messiah's  sufferings,  the 
Prophet  now  describes  his  patient  endurance  of  them.  The, 
second  verb  has  been  usually  understood  as  a  ^mple  repetition 
of  the  same  idea  in  other  words.  Thus  the  English  Version 
renders  it,  he  urns  oppressed  and  he  ^cas  afflicted.  Besides  the 
tautology  of  this  translation  which  would  prove  nothing  by 
itself,  it  fails  to  represent  the  form  of  the  original,  in  which 
the  pronoun  is  introduced  before  the  second  verb,  and  accord- 
ing to  usage  must  be  regarded  as  emphatic.  By  far  the  sim- 
plest and  most  natural  construction  is  to  give  it  its  ordinary 
sense  as  a  conjunction  and  emphatic  pronoun,  he  was  oppressed 
and  he  himself  submitted  to  affliction,  or  allowed  himself  to  be 
afflicted.  There  is  then  no  tautology  nor  any  arbitrary  differ- 
ence of  tense  assumed  between  the  two  verbs,  while  the  whole 
sense  is  good  in  itself  and  in  perfect  agi'eement  with  the  con- 
text. All  interpreters  render  nns";!  as  a  preterite  or  a  present, 
which  is  no  doubt  substantially  correct,  as  the  whole  passage 
is  descriptive.  It  seems  desirable,  however,  to  retain,  as  far 
as  possible,  the  characteristic  form  of  the  original,  especially 
as  it  is  very  hard  to  account  for  the  repeated  use  of  the  future 


292  CHAPTER    LIII. 

here,  if  nothing  more  was  intended  than  might  have  been  ex- 
pressed by  the  preterite.  At  all  events,  the  strict  translation 
of  the  form  should  be  retained,  if  it  can  be  done  without  in- 
jury to  the  sense,  which  is  certainly  the  case  here,  as  we  have 
only  to  suppose  that  the  writer  suddenly  but  naturally  changes 
his  position  from  that  of  historical  retrospection  to  that  of  ac- 
tual participation  in  the  passing  scene,  and,  as  if  he  saw  the 
victim  led  to  the  slaughter,  says,  '  he  will  not  open  his  mouth.' 
Besides  those  places  where  Christ  is  called  the  Lamb  of  God 
(e.  g  John  1  :  29.  1  Peter  1:18,  19.  Acts  8  :  32,  35),  there 
seems  to  be  reference  to  this  description  of  his  meek  endur- 
ance in  1  Peter  2  :  23. 

• 

8.  From  distress  and  from  judgment  he  was  taken  ;  and  in  his 
generation  who  will  think ^  that  he  was  cut  off  from  the  land  of  the 
living,  for  the  transgression  of  my  people,  {as)  a  curse  for  them  ? 
Every  clause  of  this  verse  has  been  made  the  subject  of  dis- 
pute among  interpreters  ;  but  the  general  meaning  is  most 
probably  the  one  expressed  in  the  above  translation. 

9.  And  he  gave  with  wicked  (men)  his  grave,  and  with  a  rich 
(man)  in  his  death ;  because  (or  although)  he  had  done  no  violence, 
a?id  no  deceit  (was)  in  his  mouth.  They  appointed  him  his  grave 
with  the  wicked,  but  in  his  death  he  really  reposed  with  a  rich 
man,  viz.  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  who  is  expressly  so  called. 
Matt.  27  :  57.  Malefactors  were  either  left  unburied  or  dis- 
graced by  a  promiscuous  interment  in  an  unclean  place.  As 
the  Messiah  was  to  die  like  a  criminal,  he  might  have  expected 
to  be  buried  like  one ;  and  his  exemption  from  this  posthu- 
mous dishonour  was  occasioned  by  a  special  providential  inter- 
ference. 

10.  And  Jehovah  was  pleased  to  crush  (or  bruise)  him,  he  put 
him  to  grief  (or  made  him  sick) ;  if  (or  when)  his  soul  shall  make 


CHAPTER    LIU.  293 

an  offering  for  sin,  he  shall  see  (his)  seed,  he  shall  prolong  [his) 
daps,  aud  the  pleasure  of  Jehovah  in  his  hand  shall  2}rosper. 
Here  begins  the  account  of  the  Messiah's  exaltation.  All  the 
previous  sufferings  were  to  have  an  end  in  the  erection  of 
God's  kingdom  upon  earth.  As  the  first  clause  is  in  contrast 
with  the  last  of  v.  9.  it  may  be  read,  a?id  {yet)  Jehovah  urns 
pleased,  i.  e.  notwithstanding  the  Messiah's  perfect  innocence. 
The  sense  is  not,  that  Jehovah  u-as  pleased  with  his  being 
crushed,  which  might  imply  that  he  was  crushed  by  another, 
but  that  Jehovah  was  pleased  himself  to  crush  or  bruise 
him,  since  the  verb  is  not  a  passive  but  an  active  one.  In 
the  text  of  the  English  Version  we  find  ivhen  thou  shall 
make  etc. ;  but  as  Jehovah  is  nowhere  else  directly  addressed 
in  this  whole  context,  the  construction  in  the  margin  [when 
his  soul  shall  make)  is  the  one  now  commonly  adopted.  The 
word  soul  may  be  explained  as  referring  the  oblation  to  the, 
life  itself,  which  was  really  the  thing  offere^  ;  just  as  the 
blood  of  Christ  is  said  to  cleanse  from  all  sin  (1  John  1  :  7), 
meaning  that  Christ  cleanses  by  his  blood,  i.  e  his  expiatory 
death.  As  the  terms  used  to  describe  the  atonement  are  bor- 
rowed from  the  ceremonial  institutions  of  the  old  economy,  so 
those  employed  in  describing  the  reward  of  the  Messiah's  suf- 
ferings are  also  drawn  from  theocratical  associations.  Hence 
the  promise  of  long  life  and  a  numerous  offspring,  which  of 
course  are  applicable  only  in  a  figurative  spiritual  sense.  The 
seed  here  mentioned  is  identical  with  the  mighty,  whom  he  is 
described  as  sprinkling  in  ch.  52  :  15,  and  as  spoiling  in  v.  13 
below,  whom  he  is  represented  in  v.  II  as  justifying,  in  v.  5  as 
representing,  in  v.  12  as  interceding  for.  They  are  called  his 
seed,  as  they  are  elsewhere  called  the  sons  of  God  (Gen.  6  :  2), 
as  the  disciples  of  the  prophets  were  called  their  sons  (1  Kings 
2  :  25),  and  as  Christians  are  to  this  day  in  the  east  called  the 
ofi'spring  or  family  of  the  Messiah. 


294  CHAPTER   LIII. 

1 1.  From  (or  o/")  the  labour  of  his  soul  (or  life)  he  shall  see,  he  shall 
be  satisfied;  by  his  knowledge  shall  my  servant  [as)  a  righteous  o?ie 
justify  (or  give  righteousness  to)  many^  and  their  iniquities  he  shall  bear. 
In  this  verse  Jehovah  is  again  directly  introduced  as  speaking. 
The  first  word  is  explained  by  some  as  a  particle  of  time,  after 
the  labour  of  his  soul ;  by  others  as  implying  freedom  or  deliv- 
erance. Most  interpreters  follow  the  Vulgate  in  making  it 
denote  the  efficient  or  procuring  cause,  pro  eo  quod  laboravit 
anima  ejus.  The  English  Version  makes  it  partitive  :  but  this 
detracts  from  the  force  of  the  expression,  and  implies  that  he 
should  only  see  a  portion  of  the  fruit  of  his  labours.  Satisfied.^ 
not  in  the  sense  of  being  contented,  but  in  that  of  being  filled 
or  abundantly  supplied,  applied  to  spiritual  no  less  than 
to  temporal  enjoyments.  (Ps.  17  :  15.  123  :  3.  Jer.  31  :  14.) 
Some  interpreters  regard  this  as  a  case  of  hendiadys,  in  which 
the  one  word  simply  qualifies  the  other :  he  shall  see,  he  shall 
be  satisfied,  i.  e.  he  shall  abundantly  see  or  see  to  his  heart's 
content.  The  only  satisfactory  construction  of  his  knowledge 
is  the  passive  one  which  makes  the  phrase  mean  by  the  Iti^oiv- 
ledge  of  him  u-pon  the  part  of  others;  and  this  is  determined 
by  the  whole  connection  to  mean  practical  experimental  know- 
ledge, involving  faith  and  a  self-appropriation  of  the  Messiah's 
righteousness,  the  effect  of  which  is  then  expressed  in  the  fol- 
lowing words.  That  justification  in  the  strict  forensic  sense  is 
meant,  may  be  argued  from  the  entire  context,  in  which  the 
3Iessiah  appears,  not  as  a  Prophet  or  a  Teacher,  but  a  Priest 
and  a  Sacrifice,  and  also  from  the  parallel  expression  in  this 
very  verse.  In  the  next  clause  the  common  version  (viy  right- 
eous servant)  is  forbidden  by  the  Hebrew  collocation,  which  can 
only  mean  the  righteous  one,  my  servant,  or  my  servant  {as)  a 
righteous  person.  All  mistake  and  doubt  as  to  the  nature  of 
the  justification  here  intended,  or  of  the  healing  mentioned  in 
V.  6,  or  of  the  cleansing  mentioned  in  oh.  52  :  15,  is  precluded 
by  the  addition  of  the  words,  and  he  shall  bear  their  iniquities. 


CHAPTER  L  III.  295 

The  introduction  of  the  pronoun  makes  a  virtual  antithesis, 
suggesting  the  idea  of  exchange  or  mutual  substitution.  They 
shall  receive  his  righteousness,  and  he  shall  bear  their  burdens. 

12.  Therefore  icill  I  divide  to  him  among  the  many,  and  with 
tlie  strong  shall  he  divide  the  spoil.,  inasmuch  as  he  bared  unto  death 
his  soul,  and  with  the  transgressors  was  numbered,  and  he  [him- 
self] bare  the  sin  of  many,  and  for  the  transgressors  he  shall  make 
intercession.  The  simple  meaning  of  the  first  clause  is  that 
he  shall  be  triumphant ;  not  that  others  shall  be  sharers  in 
his  victory,  but  that  he  shall  be  as  gloriously  successful  in 
his  enterprise  as  other  victors  ever  were  in  theirs.  The 
Jewish  objection,  that  Christ  never  waged  war  or  divided 
spoil,  has  been  eagerly  caught  up  and  repeated  by  the  ra- 
tionalistic school  of  critics.  But  spiritual  triumphs  must  be 
here  intended,  because  no  others  could  be  represented  as 
the  fruit  of  voluntary  humiliation  and  vicarious  suSering, 
and  because  the  same  thing  is  described  in  the  context  as  a 
sprinkling  of  the  nations,  as  a  bearing  of  their  guilt,  and  as  their 
justification.  The  many  and  the  strong  of  this  verse  are  the 
nations  and  the  kings  of  ch.  52 :  15,  the  spiritual  seed  of  v.  8 
and  10  above.  (Compare  ch.  11:  10  and  Ps.  2  :  8.)  The  last 
clause  recapitulates  the  claims  of  the  Messiah  to  this  glorious 
reward.  The  application  of  this  clause  to  our  Saviour's  cruci- 
fixion between  thieves  (Mark  15  :  28)  does  not  exhaust  the 
whole  sense  of  the  prophecy.  It  rather  points  out  one  of  those 
remarkable  coincidences  which  were  brought  about  by  Provi- 
dence between  the  prophecies  and  the  circumstances  of  our  Sa- 
viour's passion.  Intercession,  not  in  the  restricted  sense  of 
prayer  for  others,  but  in  the  wider  one  of  meritorious  and  pre- 
vailing intervention,  which  is  ascribed  to  Christ  in  the  New 
Testament,  not  as  a  work  already  finished,  like  that  of  atone- 
ment, but  as  one  still  going  on  (Rom.  8  :  34.  Heb.  9  :  24. 
1  John  2:1),  for  which  cause  the  Prophet  here  employs  the  fu- 


296  CHAPTER    LIII. 

ture  form.  The  phrase  translated  inas7nuch  as  does  not  simply 
mean  because^  but  instead^  or  in  lieu  [of  this)  ihat^  which  expresses 
more  distinctly  the  idea  of  reward  or  compensation.  The  most 
specious  objection  to  the  old  interpretation  of  this  verse,  as 
teaching  the  doctrine  of  vicarious  atonement,  is  that  Nffij,  when 
directly  followed  by  a  noun  denoting  sin,  invariably  means  to 
forgive  or  pardon  it,  except  in  Lev.  10  :  17,  where  it  means  to 
atone  for  it,  but  never  to  bear  the  sins  of  others,  which  can  only 
be  expressed  by  3  Nra,  as  in  Ezek.  18  :  19,  20.  (See  Gen.  50  : 
17.  Ex.  10  :  17.  32  :  32.  34  :  7.  Ps.  32 :  5.  85  :  2.  Job  7  :  21.) 
It  is  no  sufficient  answer  to  this  argument  to  say  that  the  par- 
allel expression  determines  the  meaning  of  the  phrase  in  ques- 
tion ;  since  all  parallelisms  are  not  synonymous,  and  no  paral- 
lelism can  pi'ove  anything  in  opposition  to  a  settled  usage. 
But  although  the  parallel  phrase  cannot  change  or  even  ascer- 
tain the  sense  of  this,  it  does  itself  undoubtedly  express  the 
idea  which  the  objector  seeks  to  banish  from  the  text ;  since  no 
one  can  pretend  to  say  that  h'2'o  means  to  pardon,  and  it  mat- 
ters not  on  which  side  of  the  parallel  the  disputed  doctrine  is 
expressed,  if  it  only  be  expressed  at  all.  Little  or  nothing 
would  be  therefore  gained  by  proving  that  xon  Nira  only  means 
to  pardon.  But  this  is  very  far  from  being  proved  by  the 
usage  of  the  Hebrew  verb,  which  itself  presupposes  the  doc- 
trine, that  the  only  way  in  which  a  holy  God  can  take  away  sin 
is  by  bearing  it ;  in  other  words  he  can  forgive  it  only  by  pro- 
viding an  atonement  for  it.  This  alone  enables  him  to  be  su- 
premely just  and  yet  a  justifier,  not  of  the  innocent,  but  of  the 
guilty.  Thus  the  usage  so  triumphantly  adduced  to  disprove 
the  doctrine  of  atonement,  is  found,  on  deeper  and  more  thor- 
ough scrutiny,  itself  to  presuppose  that  very  doctrine. 


CHAPTEll    LIV.  297 


CHAPTER    LIV. 

Instead  of  suffering  from  the  loss  of  her  national  preroga- 
tives, the  church  shall  be  more  glorious  and  productive  than 
before,  v.  1.  Instead  of  being  limited  to  a  single  nation,  she 
shall  be  so  extended  as  to  take  in  all  the  nations  of  the  earth, 
vs.  2,  3.  What  seemed  at  first  to  be  her  forlorn  and  desolate 
condition^  shall  be  followed  by  a  glorious  change,  v.  4.  He 
who  seemed  once  to  be  the  God  of  the  Jews  only,  shall  now  be 
seen  to  be  the  God  of  the  Gentiles  also,  v.  5.  The  abrogation 
of  the  old  economy  was  like  the  repudiation  of  a  wife,  but  its 
effects  will  show  it  to  be  rather  a  renewal  of  the  conjugal  rela- 
tion, V.  6.  The  momentary  rejection  shall  be  followed  by  an 
everlasting  reconciliation,  vs.  7,  8.  The  old  economy,  like 
Noah's  flood,  can  never  be  repeated  or  renewed,  v.  9.  That 
was  a  temporary  institution  ;  this  shall  outlast  the  earth  itsejf, 
V.  10.  The  old  Jerusalem  shall  be  forgotten  in  the  splendoAr 
of  the  new,  vs.  II,  12.  But  this  shall  be  a  spiritual  splendoar 
springing  from  a  constant  divine  influence,  v.  13.  Hence  it 
shall  also  be  a  holy  and  a  safe  state,  v.  14.  All  the  enemies 
of  the  Church  shall  either  be  destroyed  or  received  into  her 
bosom,  V.  15.  The  warrior  and  his  weapons  are  alike  God's 
creatures  and  at  his  disposal,  v.  16.  In  every  contest,  both  of 
hand  and  tongue,  the  Church  shall  be  triumphant,  not  in  her 
own  right  or  her  own  strength,  but  in  that  of  Him  who  justifies, 
protects,  and  saves  her,  v.  17. 

1.  Shout,  oh  barren,  that  did  not  bear,  break  forth  into  a  shout 
and  cry  aloud,  she  that  did  not  writhe  (in  childbirth)  ,•  for  more 
(«re)  the  children  of  the  desolate  than  the  children  of  the  married 
{tooman),  saith  Jehovah.  According  to  some  writers,  the  object 
of  address  is  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  in  which  no  citizens  were 

13* 


298  CHAPTER    LIV. 

born  during  the  exile,  but  which  was  afterwards  to  be  more 
populous  than  the  other  cities  of  Judah  which  had  not  been  re- 
duced to  such  a  state  of  desolation.  Besides  other  difficulties 
which  attend  this  explanation,  it  will  be  sufficient  to  observe 
that  those  who  apply  the  first  verse  to  the  city  of  Jerusalem 
are  under  the  necessity  of  afterwards  assuming  that  this  object 
is  exchanged  for  another,  viz.  the  people,  a  conclusive  reason 
for  regarding  this  as  the  original  object  of  address,  especially  as 
we  have  had  abundant  proof  already  that  the  Zion  or  Jerusa- 
lem of  these  later  prophecies  is  only  a  symbol  of  the  church  or 
nation.  In  the  first  clause  our  idiom  would  require  didst  not 
bear  and  didst  not  writhe ;  but  Hebrew  usage  admits  of  the 
third  person.  Another  Hebrew  idiom  is  the  expression  of  the 
same  idea  first  in  a  positive  and  then  in  a  negative  form,  bar- 
ren that  did  not  bear.  This  very  combination  occurs  more  than 
once  elsewhere.  (Judges  13:2.  Job  24:  21.)  The  contrast 
here  presented  occurs  also  in  1  Sam.  2  :  5. 

2.  Widen  the  place  of  thy  tent,  and  the  curtains  of  thy  dwell- 
ivgs  let  them  stretch  out ;  spare  not  (or  hhider  it  not)  ;  lengthen 
thy  cords  and  strengthen  (or  make  fast)  thy  stakes.  As  in  the 
parallel  passage  (ch.  49  :  19,  20),  the  promise  of  increase  is 
now  expressed  by  the  figure  of  enlarged  accommodations.  The 
place  may  be  either  the  area  within  the  tent  or  the  spot  on 
which  it  is  erected.  The  curtai?is  are  the  tent-cloths  stretched 
upon  the  poles  to  form  the  dwelling.  The  stakes  are  the  tent- 
pins,  to  which  the  tent-cloths  are  attached  by  cords.  The  last 
clause  may  either  mean,  take  stronger  pins,  or  fix  them  more 
firmly  in  the  ground  ;  both  implying  an  enlargement  of  the 
tent  and  a  consequently  greater  stress  upon  the  cords  and 
stakes. 

3.  For  right  and  left  shall  thou  break  forth  (or  spread),  and  thy 
seed  shall  possess  (or  dispossess  or  inherit)  nations,  and  re-people 


CHAPTER    LIT,  299 

ruined  {or  forsaken)  cities.  Right  and  left  are  indefinite  expres- 
sions meaning  on  both  sides  or  in  all  directions.  The  figura- 
tive meaning  of  the  terms,  as  in  many  other  cases,  is  evinced  by 
an  immediate  change  of  figure,  without  any  regard  to  mere  rhe- 
torical consistency.  The  same  thing  which  is  first  represented 
as  the  violent  expulsion  of  an  enemy  from  his  dominions,  is 
immediately  afterwards  described  as  the  restoration  of  deserted 
places.  The  whole  verse  is  a  beautiful  description  of  the  won- 
derful extension  of  the  church  and  her  spiritual  conquest  of  the 
nations. 

4.  Fear  not^for  thou  shalt  not  be  ashamed.,  and  be  not  abaslied, 
for  thou  shalt  not  blush ;  for  the  shame  of  thy  youth  thou  shalt 
forget.,  and  the  reproach  of  thy  widowhood  thou  shalt  not  remember 
any  more.  Here,  as  in  many  other  cases,  shame  includes  the 
disappointment  of  the  hopes,  but  with  specific  reference  to  pre- 
vious misconduct.  (See  Job  6  :  20.)  The  firs*  clause  declares 
that  she  has  no  cause  for  despondency,  the  second  disposes  of 
the  causes  which  might  seem  to  be  suggested  by  her  history. 
The  essential  meaning  of  the  last  clause  is,  thy  former  experi- 
ence of  my  displeasure.  The  figurative  form  of  the  expres- 
sion is  accommodated  to  the  chosen  metaphor  of  a  wife  for- 
saken and  restored  to  her  husband.  The  specific  reference  of 
youth  to  the  Egyptian  bondage,  and  of  widowhood  to  the  Baby- 
lonian exile,  is  artificial  and  forbidden  by  the  context. 

5.  For  thy  husband  {is)  thy  Maker.  Jehovah  of  Hosts  {is)  his 
name ;  and  thy  Redeemer  [is)  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  the  God  of 
all  the  earth  shall  he  be  called.  This  verse  is  marked  by  a  pecu- 
liar regularity  of  structure,  the  two  members  of  the  first  clause 
corresponding  exactly  to  the  similar  members  of  the  other.  In 
each  clause  the  first  member  points  out  the  relation  of  Jehovah 
to  his  people,  while  the  second  proclaims  one  of  his  descriptive 
names.     He  i«  related  to  the  church  as  her  Husband  and  JRe- 


300  CHAPTER   LIV. 

deemer  ;  he  is  known  or  shall  be  known  to  all  mankind  as  the 
Lord  of  Hosts  and  as  the  God  of  the  ivhole  earthy  which  are  not 
to  be  regarded  as  equivalent  expressions.  As  the  God  of  the 
Jewish  institutions,  the  redeemer  of  a  forfeited  inheritance,  was 
necessarily  the  next  of  kin.  it  is  appropriately  placed  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  endearing  name  of  husband  ;  and  as  the  title  Lord 
of  Hosts  imports  a  universal  sovereignty,  it  is  no  less  exactly 
matched  with  the  God  of  the  whole  earth.  But  this  last  phrase 
expresses  the  idea  of  universal  recognition.  Shall  he  be  called^ 
i.  e.  he  shall  be  recognized  hereafter  in  the  character  which  even 
now  belongs  to  him. 

6,  For  as  a  ivife  forsaTcen  and  grieved  in  spirit  has  Jehovah 
called  thee,  and  (as)  a  tvife  of  youth  ;  for  she  shall  be  rejected^  said 
thy  God.  Reduced  to  a  prosaic  form  and  order,  this  verse 
seems  to  mean,  that  Jehovah  had  espoused  her  in  her  youth, 
then  cast  her  oiF  for  her  iniquities,  and  now  at  last  recalled  her 
from  her  solitude  and  grief  to  be  his  wife  again.  (Compare 
Hosea  2  :  4,  7,  14,  16,  19.)  A  toife  of  youth,  not  merely  a  young 
wife,  but  one  married  early.  (See  Proverbs  5:18,  and  Malachi 
2 :  14.)  The  sense  is  not  that  she  had  been  wedded  to  Jehovah 
in  her  youth  and  now  recalled,  but  that  he  now  recalled  her  as 
a  husband  might  recall  the  long  rejected  wife  of  his  youth. 
The  common  version  of  the  last  clause,  ivhcn  thou  toast  refused,  is 
ungrammatical.  The  last  clause  is  an  explanation  of  the  first, 
in  which  she  is  said  to  have  been  recalled  as  a  forsaken  wife, 
and  that  a  wife  of  youth,  because  her  God  had  said  to  her  at 
that  time,  thou  shalt  be  rejected.  This  explanation,  while  it 
simplifies  the  syntax,  leaves  the  meaning  of  the  verse  unaltered. 

7.  1)1  a  little  moment  I  forsook  thee,  and  in  great  mercies  I  will 
gather  thee.  The  metaphor  is  here  carried  out  in  the  form  of  an 
afi^ectionate  assurance  that  the  love  now  restored  shall  experi- 
ence no  further  interruption.     The  use  of  the  preterite  and 


CHAPTER    LIV.  301 

future  implies  an  intermediate  point  of  view  between  the 
opposite  treatments  here  described.  I  did  forsake  thee,  and 
now  I  am  about  to  gather  thee.  If  any  specific  application  of 
the  words  be  made,  it  must  be  to  the  momentary  casting  ofi"  of 
Israel  which  seemed  to  accompany  the  change  of  dispensations. 
The  confusion  of  the  metaphors  in  this  whole  passage  springs 
from  the  complexity  of  the  relations  which  they  represent.  Aa 
a  nation,  Israel  was  in  fact  cast  off;  as  a  church,  it  never 
could  be. 

8.  In  a  gush  of  wrath  I  hid  my  face  a  moment  from  thee,  and  in 
everlasting  kindness  I  have  had  mercy  on  thee.,  saith  thy  Rcdremcr, 
Jehovah.  The  idea  of  the  preceding  verse  is  again  expressed 
more  fully.  The  first  noun  occurs  only  here,  but  a  cognate 
form  means  a  flood  or  inundation,  and  is  elsewhere  used  in 
reference  to  anger.  So  in  eh.  42  :  25,  the  wrath  of  God  is 
said  to  have  been  poured  out  upon  Israel.  'TThis  verse,  like 
the  one  before  it,  is  a  general  description  of  the  everlasting 
favour  which  shall  drown  the  very  memory  of  former  alienations 
between  God  and  his  people.  The  only  specific  application 
which  is  equally  consistent  with  the  form  of  the  expression  and 
the  context  is  the  one  suggested  in  the  note  upon  the  foregoing 
verse. 

9.  For  the  waters  of  Noah  is  this  to  me;  what  I  sware  from  the 
waters  of  Noah  passing  again  over  the  earth  (i.  e.  against  their 
passing,  or,  that  they  should  not  pass),  so  I  have  sicorn.  from 
being  angry  (that  I  will  not  be  angry)  against  thee,  and  from 
rebuking  (that  I  will  not  rebuke)  thee.  The  assurance  of  the 
preceding  verse  is  now  repeated  in  another  form.  There  can 
no  more  be  another  such  effusion  of  my  wrath  than  there  can 
be  another  deluge,  here  called  the  ivatcrs  of  'Noah,  just  as  we 
familiarly  say  "  Noah's  flood."  The  security  in  this  case,  as  in 
that,  is  a  divine  oath  or  solemn  covenant,  like  that  recorded 


302  CHAPTER    LIV. 

Gen.  8  :  21,  and  9:11.  Some  convert  a  simile  into  a  symbol, 
and  endeavour  to  enumerate  the  points  of  similarity  between 
the  world  and  the  deluge,  the  church  and  the  ark.  It  is  only 
upon  this  erroneous  supposition  that  such  passages  as  Ps. 
124  :  4,  5,  can  be  regarded  as  illustrative  parallels.  Such 
minute  coincidences  any  reader  is  at  liberty  to  search  out  for 
himself;  but  the  text  mentions  only  one  point  of  comparison 
between  the  two  events,  namely,  that  neither  can  occur  again. 
The  Prophet  does  not  say  that  God's  displeasure  with  the  church 
is  a  flood  which  shall  never  be  repeated,  but  that  it  shall  never 
be  repeated  any  more  than  the  flood.  There  is  no  need  of  sup- 
plying any  preposition  before  waters^  since  the  meaning  is  that 
this  is  the  same  thing  as  the  flood,  or  just  such  another  case ; 
in  what  respect  is  afterwards  explained.  To  mc  does  not  simply 
mean  in  my  view  or  opinion,  but  expresses  similarity  of  obliga- 
tion ;  the  oath  was  as  binding  in  the  one  case  as  the  other. 
Rebuke  must  here  be  taken  in  the  strong  and  pregnant  sense 
which  it  has  in  ch.  17  :  13.  50  :  2.  51  :  20,  and  very  generally 
throughout  the  Old  Testament,  as  signifying  not  a  merely 
verbal  but  a  practical  rebuke.  That  this  is  not  a  general  prom- 
ise of  security,  is  plain  from  the  fact  that  the  church  has  always 
been  subjected  to  vicissitudes  and  fluctuations.  Nor  is  there 
any  period  in  her  history  to  which  it  can  be  properly  applied  in 
a  specific  sense,  except  the  change  of  dispensations,  which  was 
made  once  for  all  and  can  never  be  repeated.  That  the  church 
shall  never  be  again  brought  under  the  restrictive  institutions 
of  the  ceremonial  law.  is  neither  a  matter  of  course  nor  a  matter 
of  indifference,  but  a  glorious  promise  altogether  worthy  of  the 
solemn  oath  by  which  it  is  attested  here. 

10.  For  the  mountains  shall  move  and  the  hills  shall  shake  ;  but 
my  favour  from  thee  shall  not  move^  and  my  covenant  of  peace  shall 
not  shahe^  saith  thy  piticr,  Jehovah.  The  meaning  is  not  that 
God's  promise  is  as  stable  as  the  mountains,  but  that  it  is  more 


CHAPTER   LIV.  303 

80 ;  they  shall  be  removed,  but  it  shall  stand  forever.  The 
mountains  and  hills  in  this  place  are  not  symbols  of  states 
and  empires,  but  natural  emblems  of  stability.     (See  Deut, 

33  :  15.  Ps.  6.5  :  6.  125  :  1,  2.)  The  phrase  covc?iant  of  peace 
denotes  a  divine  promise  or  engagement,  securing  the  enjoy- 
ment of  peace,  both  in  the  strict  sense  and  in  the  wide  one  of 
prosperity  or   happiness.      (Compare  v.   13.  ch.  53  :  5.    Ezek. 

34  :  25.  37  :  26.)  The  covenant  of  my  peace  does  not  give  the 
sense  so  fully  as  my  covenant  of  peace,  i.  e.  my  peace-giving 
covenant.  The  force  of  the  last  phrase  is  impaired  by  the 
circumlocution  of  the  common  version,  the  Lord  that  hath  mercy 
on  thee;  still  more  by  Lowth's  diluted  paraphrase,  Jehovah  who 
beareth  toward  thee,  the  most  tender  affection. 

11.  Wretched^  storm-tossed,  comfortless !  Behold  I  am  laying 
(or  about  to  lay)  thy  stones  in  antimony,  and  I  will  found  the& 
upon  sapphires.  The  past  afflictions  of  Grod's^people  are  con- 
trasted with  the  glory  which  awaits  them,  and  which  is  here 
represented  by  the  image  of  a  city  built  of  precious  stones, 
and  cemented  with  the  substance  used  by  oriental  women  in 
the  staining  of  their  eyelids.  (2  Kings  9  ;  30.  Jer.  4  :  30.) 
This  eye-paint,  made  of  stibium  or  antimony,  may  be  joined 
with  sapphires  as  a  costly  substance,  commonly  applied  to  a 
more  delicate  use  ;  or  there  may  be  allusion  to  the  likeness  be- 
tween stones  thus  set  and  painted  eyes.  The  stones  meant  are 
not  corner  or  foundation-stones,  but  all  those  used  in  building. 
There  is  something  singular,  though  not  perhaps  significant, 
in  the  application  to  these  stones  of  a  Hebrew  verb  elsewhere 
used  only  in  reference  to  animals. 

12.  And  I  will  make  thy  battlements  {ox  pinnacles)  ruby,  and 
thy  gates  to  (be)  sparkling  gems,  and  all  thy  border  to  {be)  stones 
of  pleasure  (or  dAight).  The  splendid  image  of  the  preceding 
verse  is  here  continued  and  completed.     The  precise  kinds  of 


304  CHAPTER    LIV. 

gems  here  meant  are  not  of  much  importance.  The  essential 
idea,  as  appears  from  the  etymology  of  the  names,  is  that  of 
sparkling  brilliancy.  The  last  phrase  is  a  more  generic  term, 
including  all  the  others,  and  equivalent  to  our  expression,  pre- 
cious stones.  Some  put  a  specific  sense  on  every  part  of  the 
description,  understanding  by  the  antimony  of  the  preceding 
verse  the  doctrine  of  Christ's  blood,  by  the  gates  the  synods 
of  the  church,  by  the  battlements  its  advocates  and  champions, 
etc.  Lowth,  with  better  taste  and  judgment,  says  that  "  these 
seem  to  be  general  images  to  express  beauty,  magnificence, 
purity,  strength,  and  solidity,  agreeably  to  the  ideas  of  the 
eastern  nations,  and  to  have  never  been  intended  to  be  strictly 
scrutinized,  or  minutely  and  particularly  explained,  as  if  they 
had  each  of  them  some  precise  moral  or  spiritual  meaning." 

13.  And  all  thy  children  disciples  of  Jchovahj  and  great  (or 
'plentiful)  the  peace  of  thy  sons  (or  childreii).  Some  make  the 
sentence  simply  descriptive,  by  supplying  are  in  the  present 
tense.  Others  supply  shall  be,  and  thus  make  it  a  prediction 
or  a  promise.  The  common  version,  taught  of  God,  which 
Lowth  changes  into  taught  by  God,  though  not  erroneous,  is  in- 
adequate ;  since  the  Hebrew  word  is  not  a  participle  but  a  noun, 
used  elsewhere  to  denote  a  pupil,  follower,  or  disciple.  (See 
oh.  8  :  16.)  The  promise  is  not  one  of  occasional  instruction, 
but  of  permanent  connection  with  Jehovah,  as  his  followers 
and  partakers  of  his  constant  teaching.  That  the  words  are 
applicable  to  the  highest  teaching  of  which  any  rational  being 
is  susceptible,  to  wit,  that  of  the  Holy  Spirit  making  known 
the  Father  and  the  Son,  we  have  our  Saviour's  own  authority 
for  stating.  (See  John  6  :  45,  and  compare  Matt.  23  :  8.  Heb. 
8  :  11.  1  John  2  :  27.)  Paul  too  describes  believers  as 
■d-EodiSuxToi  in  relation  to  the  duties  of  their  calling  (1  Thess. 
4  :  9.)  Similar  promises  under  the  Old  Testament  are  given 
in  Jer.  31  :  34  and  elsewhere.     As  in  ch.  43  :  9,  all  the  gifts 


CHAPTER    LIV.  306 

of  the  Spirit  are  included.  The  consequence  of  this  blessed 
privilege  is  peace,  no  doubt  in  the  widest  sense  of  spiritual 
welfare  and  prosperity.     (John  14  :  27.  Phil.  4  :  7.) 

14.  In  righteousness  shalt  thou  be  established:  be  far  from  op- 
pression^ for  thou  shalt  not  fear  ^  and  from  destruction,  for  it  shall 
not  come  near  to  thee.  An  additional  promise  of  complete  secu- 
rity, made  more  emphatic  by  its  repetition  in  a  variety  of 
forms.  By  righteousness,  some  understand  the  righteousness  or 
faithfulness  of  God,  securing  the  performance  of  his  promises  ; 
others,  th«  justice  of  the  government  itself,  or  the  practice  of 
righteousness  among  the  people.  The  first,  however,  compre- 
hends the  others  as  its  necessary  consequences,  public  and  pri- 
vate virtue  being  always  represented  in  Scripture  as  the  fruit 
of  divine  influence.  (Compare  ch.  1  :  27.  9:6.  11:5.  16  : 
5.)  Of  the  next  clause  there  are  several  interpretations.  The 
ancient  versions  understand  it  as  a  warning  or  dissuasion 
from  the  practice  of  oppression.  But  this  does  not  agree 
■with  the  context,  which  is  evidently  meant  to  be  consolatory 
and  encouraging.  The  explanation  which  has  been  most  gene- 
rally acquiesced  in,  is  the  one  which  supposes  the  imperative 
to  represent  the  future,  or  a  promise  to  be  clothed  in  the  form 
of  a  command  :  '  Be  far  from  oppi'ession,  i.  e.  thou  shalt  be  far 
from  it.'  Examples  of  this  idiom  are  supposed  to  occur  in 
Gen.  42  :  18.  Deut.  32  :  50.  Prov.  20  :  13.  Be  far  from  oppres- 
sion is  not  a  promise  of  exemption  from  it,  for  that  follows  in 
the  next  clause,  which  the  modern  interpreters  correctly  un- 
derstand as  meaning,  thou  hast  no  cause  to  fear.  Be  far  from 
oppression,  i.  e.  far  from  apprehending  it.  The  whole  may 
then  be  paraphrased  as  follows  :  '  "When  once  established  by 
the  exercise  of  righteousness  on  my  part  and  your  own,  you 
may  put  far  off  all  dread  of  oppression,  for  you  have  no  cause 
to  fear  it,  and  of  destruction,  for  it  shall  not  come  nigh  you.' 
With  the  promise  of  this  clause,  compare  ch.  32  :  16  and  62  : 


306  CHAPTER    LIV. 

12.  The  truth  of  the  promise,  in  its  true  sense,  is  vindicated 
by  the  fact  that  it  relates  to  the  covirse  of  the  new  dispensation 
as  a  wholC;  with  special  reference  to  its  final  consummation, 

15.  io,  theij  shall  gather^  they  shall  gather,  not  at  my  sign  (or 
signal).  Who  has  gathered  against  thee  !  He  shall  fall  aicay 
to  the".  The  promise  of  the  preceding  verse  is  here  so  modi- 
fied as  to  provide  for  every  possible  contingency.  If  enemies 
should  be  assembled,  it  will  not  be  b}'  divine  command  (com- 
pare ch.  10  :  5.  47  :  6),  and  they  shall  end  by  coming  over  to 
the  side  of  those  whom  they  assail.  This,  on  the  whole,  ap- 
pears to  be  the  meaning,  although  every  expression  has  re- 
ceived a  diff"erent  explanation.  The  promise  is  not  that' they 
should  never  be  assailed,  but  that  they  should  never  be  con- 
quered. IVot  by  my  sign  or  signal,  i.  e.  not  by  my  authority 
or  not  at  my  command. 

16.  Lo,  I  have  created  the  smith,  blowing  into  the  Jive  of  coal ^ 
and  bringing  out  a  weapon  for  his  work ;  and  I  have  created  the 
waster  to  destroy.  The  general  meaning  evidently  is,  that  God 
can  certainly  redeem  his  pledge,  because  all  instruments  and 
agents  are  alike  at  his  disposal  and  under  his  control.  He  is 
not  only  the  maker  of  the  weapons  of  war,  but  the  maker  of 
their  maker,  as  well  as  of  the  warrior  who  wields  them.  The 
pronoun  in  both  clauses  is  emphatic.  It  is  I  (and  not  another) 
who  created  them.  A  similar  glimpse  into  the  ancient  forge 
or  smithy  has  already  been  afforded  in  the  scornful  attack 
upon  the  worshippers  of  idols,  ch.  4  1  :  7.  Bringing  out  does 
not  mean  bringing  out  of  his  workshop  or  his  hands,  but 
bringing  into  shape  or  into  being,  precisely  as  we  say  bringing 
forth,  producing,  although  commonly  in  reference  to  animal  or 
vegetable  life.  Perhaps,  however,  it  would  be  still  better  to 
explain  it  as  meaning  out  of  the  fire,  in  which  case  there  would 
be  a  fine  antithesis  between  blowing  into  it  and  bringing  the 


CHAPTER    LIV.  307 

wrought  iron  out  of  it.  '  It  is  I  that  create  the  smith  who 
makes  the  instruments,  and  it  is  also  I  that  create  the  de- 
stroyer who  employs  them.' 

17.  Every  weapon  (that)  shall  be  formed  against  thee  shall  not 
prosper,  and  every  tovgue  (that)  shall  rise  tvith  thee  in  judgment 
thou,  shall  condemn.  This  is  the  heritage  of  the  servants  of  Jeho- 
vah, and  their  righteousiiess  from  me,  saith  Jehovah.  The  com- 
mon version  of  the  first  clause  expresses  the  same  thought  in 
the  English  idiom,  no  ivcapon  that  is  formed  against  thee  shall 
prosper,  a  form  of  speech  which  does  not  exist  in  Hebrew,  and 
can  only  be  supplied  by  combining  negative  and  universal 
terms.  The  expression,  though  ambiguous,  is  determined  by 
the  context.  It  cannot  mean  that  only  some  of  the  weapons 
formed  should  take  effect — which  might  be  the  meaning  of  the 
phrase  in  English — because  in  the  affirmative  clause  which .^ 
follows,  and  which  must  be  co  extensive  in  its^meaning,  there 
is  no  such  ambiguity,  it  being  said  expressly  that  every  tongue 
shall  be  condemned.  Another  difference  of  idiom  here  exem- 
plified has  reference  to  the  ellipsis  of  the  relative  pronoun, 
which  in  English  is  familiarly  omitted  when  the  object  of  the 
verb,  but  never  when  its  subject.  Every  weapon  they  form 
would  be  perfectly  intelligible  ;  but  every  weapon  is  formed  (for 
which  is  formed)  would  convey  a  wrong  idea.  Shall  not  prosper, 
i.  e.  shall  not  take  effect  or  accomplish  its  design.  To  rise  or 
stand  in  judgment,  literally /or  or  with  respect  to  judgment,  is  to 
appear  before  a  judgment-seat,  to  invoke  the  decision  of  a 
judge.  With  thee  may  either  denote  simply  simultaneous 
action,  that  of  standing  up  together,  or  it  may  have  the  stronger 
sense  against  thee,  as  it  seems  to  have  above  in  v.  15,  and  as  it 
has  in  our  expressions  io  fight  'with  or  to  go  to  law  with.  The 
tongue  is  here  personified,  or  used  to  represent  the  party  liti- 
gant whose  only  weapon  is  his  speech.  For  the  judicial  or 
forensic  usage  of  the  verb,  see  above,  on  ch,  50  :  9.     Some  sup- 


308  CHAPTER    LV. 

pose  these  two  clauses  to  reduce  all  opposition  and  hostility  to 
that  of  word  and  that  of  deed  ;  but  there  may  also  be  allusion 
to  the  obvious  distinction  between  warfare  in  its  military  and 
its  civil  forms,  or  between  wliat  is  properly  called  war  aud 
litigation.  In  all  these  varied  forms  of  strife  it  is  predicted 
that  the  church  shall  be  victorious.  (Compare  Rom.  8  :  37 
and  2  Cbr.  2  :  14.)  And  this  security  is  represented  as  her 
heritage  or  lawful  possession  and  as  her  right,  i.  e.  what  is  due 
to  her  from  God.  as  the  judge  of  the  whole  earth,  who  must  do 
right. 


CHAPTER    LY. 


By  the  removal  of  the  old  restrictions,  the  church  is,  for 
the  first  time,  open  to  the  whole  woirid,  as  a  source  or  medium 
of  the  richest  spiritual  blessings,  v.  1.  It  is  only  here  that 
real  nourishment  can  be  obtained,  v.  2.  Life  is  made  sure  by 
an  oath  and  covenant,  v.  3.  The  Messiah  is  a  witness  of  the 
truth  and  a  commander  of  the  nations,  v.  4.  As  such  he  will 
be  recognized  by  many  nations  who  before  knew  nothing  of  the 
true  religion,  v.  5.  These  are  now  addressed  directly,  and  ex- 
horted to  embrace  the  offered  opportunity,  v.  6.  To  this  there 
is  every  encouragement  afforded  in  the  divine  mercy,  v.  7. 
The  infinite  disparity  between  God  and  man  should  have  the 
same  effect,  instead  of  hindering  it,  vs.  8,  9.  The  commands 
and  promises  of  God  must  be  fulfilled,  vs.  10,  11.  Nothing 
therefore  can  prevent  a  glorious  change  in  the  condition  of  the 
world  under  the  dispensation  of  the  Spirit,  v.  12.  This 
blessed  renovation,  being  directly  promotive  of  God's  glory, 
shall  endure  forever,  v.  13. 


CHAPTER   LV.  309 

1.  Ho  every  thirsty  one.,  come  ye  to  the  waters  ;  and  he  to  tvhom 
there  is  no  money ^  come  ye^  buy  {food)  and  eat ;  and  conie^  buy^ 
without  money  and  todhout  price,  wine  and  milk.  The  promises 
contained  in  the  preceding  chapters  to  the  church,  are  now 
followed  by  a  general  invitation  to  partake  of  the  blessings 
thus  secured.  Water,  milk,  and  wine,  are  here  combined  to 
express  the  ideas  of  refreshment,  nourishment,  and  exhilara- 
tion. Under  these  figures  are  included  all  things  essential  to 
the  spiritual  life.  The  benefits  here  offered  must  of  course 
bear  some  proportion  to  the  means  by  which  they  were 
secured,  viz.  the  atoning  death  of  the  Messiah  and  the  influ- 
ences of  his  Spirit.  The  reference  to  the  water  of  baptism, 
which  some  of  the  Fathers  found  in  this  verse,  is  excluded  by 
the  fact  that  the  water  here  meant  is  not  water  for  washing  but 
water  to  be  drunk.  And^  he,  after  the  universal  expression 
every  one,  does  not  add  a  new  idea,  but  explains  the  one  ex- 
pressed already,  and  is  therefore  equivalent  to  et-e/i  he  in  Eng- 
lish. The  same  remark  applies  to  the  and  before  the  second 
come,  which  is  not  incorrectly  rendered  yea  come  in  the  com- 
mon version.  To  whom  there  is  not  money  is  the  only  equiva- 
lent in  Hebrew  to  our  phrase  toho  has  no  money.  This  appar- 
ent contradiction  was  intended  by  the  writer  to  express  in  the 
strongest  manner  the  gratuitous  nature  of  the  purchase. 
Wine  and  milk  are  combined,  either  as  necessities  or  luxuries, 
by  Jacob  in  G-en.  49  :  12.  The  images  of  this  verse  are 
essentially  the  same  with  those  in  oh.  12  :  3.  25  :  6,  62  :  8,  9. 
65  :  13   John  4  :  14.  7  :  37.  Rev.  22  :  17. 

2.  Why  will  ye  ivcigh  money  for  (that  which  is)  not  bread, 
and  your  labour  for  (that  which  is)  not  to  satity  ?  Hearken, 
hearken  unto  me,  and  eat  (that  which  is)  good,  and  your  soul  shall 
enjoy  itsdf  in  fatness.  The  gratuitous  blessings  offered  by 
Messiah  are  contrasted  with  the  costly  and  unprofitable  labours 
of  mankind  to  gain  the  same  end  iu  another  way.     It  was  not 


310  CHAPTER   LV. 

that  they  refused  food,  nor  even  that  they  were  unwilling  to 
buy  it :  but  they  mistook  for  it  that  which  was  not  nourishing. 
In  the  first  clause  there  is  reference  to  the  primitive  custom 
of  weighing  instead  of  counting  money,  from  which  have  arisen 
several  of  the  most  familiar  denominations,  such  as  the  He- 
brew shekel,  the  Greek  talent,  the  French  livre,  and  the  English 
pound.  The  essential  idea  here  is  that  of  paying.  Bread,  as 
the  staff  of  life,  is  here  and  in  many  other  cases  put  for  food 
in  general.  Labour,  as  in  ch.  45  :  14,  means  the  product  or 
result  of  labour.  The  emphatic  repetition  of  the  verb  to  hear 
may  be  variously  expressed  in  English  as  denoting  to  hear 
diligently,  attentively,  by  all  means,  or  to  purpose ;  but  the 
best  translation,  because  it  may  be  considered  as  including  all 
the  rest,  is  that  which  copies  most  exactly  the  peculiar  form 
of  the  original.  The  soul  is  probably  mentioned  for  the  pur- 
pose of  showing  that  the  hunger  and  the  food  referred  to  are 
not  bodily  but  spiritual.  Good  is  emphatic,  meaning  that 
which  is  truly  good,  in  opposition  to  the  no-bread  of  the  first 
clause,  a  peculiar  compound  phrase  like  those  in  ch.  10  :  15. 
31:3.  Fat,  by  a  figure  common  in  all  languages,  is  put  for 
richnesx  both  of  food  and  soil.  (See  ch.  5  :  1.  Ps.  36 :  8.  63  :  6. 
Job  36  :  16.) 

3.  Incline  your  ear  and  come  unto  me,  hear  and  yon.r  soul  shall 
live  (or  let  it  live),  and  I  will  make  with  you  an  everlasting  cove- 
nant, the  sure  mercies  of  David.  This  is  obviously  a  repetition 
of  the  same  offer  in  another  form ;  which  shows  that  the  two 
preceding  verses  cannot  have  respect  to  literal  food  or  bodily 
subsistence.  Here  again  the  use  of  the  word  sow/ necessarily 
suggests  the  thought  of  spiritual  life.  Of  the  phrase  merci-s  of 
David,  which  is  also  used  by  Solomon  (2  Chr.  6  :  42),  there 
are  three  interpretations.  The  first  understands  it  to  mean 
favours,  like  those  which  were  enjoyed  by  David.  The  second 
regards  David  as  a  name  of  the  Messiah,  as  in  Ezek.  34  :  23, 


CHAPTER   LV.  311 

24.  The  third  explanation,  and  the  one  most  commonly- 
adopted,  is,,  tha,Lih3^merdes_joJiI)(wiclja^^  prom/ 
ised  to  him^:gitli__particula,r_j:fiference  to  2  Sam.  7  :  8-16. 
(Cmnpare  1  Chr.  17  :  11,  12  and  Psalm  89  :  3,  4.)  As  the 
main  theme  of  this  promise  was  a  perpetual  succession  on  the 
throne  of  David,  it  was  fulfilled  in  Christ,  to  whom  it  is  ap- 
plied in  Acts  13  :  34.  (Compare  Is.  9  :  7  and  Luke  1  ;  32,  33.) 
That  the  promise  to  David  was  distinct  from  that  respecting 
Solomon  (1  Chr.  22  :  8-13),  and  had  not  reference  to  any  im- 
mediate descendant,  seems  clear  from  1  Chr.  17  :  12-14.  Thus 
understood,  the  text  contains  a  solemn  assurance  that  the 
promise  made  to  David  should  be  faithfully  performed  in 
its  original  import  and  intent.  Hence  the  mercies  of  David 
are  called  sure,  i  e.  sure  to  be  accomplished ;  or  it  might  be 
rendered  fai/hful.  credible,  or  trusted,  without  any  material 
effect  upon  the  meaning. 

4.  io,  (as)  a  ivitness  of  nations  I  have  given  him,  a  chief  and 
commander  of  nations.  The  emphasis  appears  to  be  on  nations, 
which  is  therefore  repeated  without  change  of  form.  The  es- 
sential meaning  is  the  same  as  that  of  ch.  49  :  6,  viz.  that  the 
Messiah  was  sent  to  be  the  Saviour  not  of  the  Jews  only  but 
also  of  the  Gentiles.  His  relation  to  the  latter  is  expressed 
by  three  terms.     First,  he  is  a  witness,  i.  e.  a  witness  to  the 


truth  (John  18  :  37)  and  a  witness  against  sinners  (Mai.  3 :  5). 
The  same  office  is  ascribed  to  Christ  in  Rev.  1  :  5.  3  :  14 
(Compare  1  Tim.  6  :  13.)  The  application  of  this  verse  to  the 
Messiah,  therefore,  is  entirely  natural.  The  second  term 
strictly  means  the  one  in  front,  the  foremost,  and  is  therefore 
naturally  used  to  signify  a  chief  or  leader.  This  title  is  ex- 
pressly applied  to  the  Messiah  by  Daniel  (9  :  25),  and  the  cor- 
responding titles  lio/Mv  and  d^/^^yos  to  Christ  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament (Acts  3  :  15.  Heb.  2  :  10.  Rev.  1  :  5),  considered  both 
as  an  example  and  a  leader.     The  third  name,  being  properly 


312  CHAPTER   LV. 

the  participle  of  a  verb  wliicli  means  to  command,  might  be  con- 
sidered as  equivalent  either  to  -preceptor  or  commander^  both 
derivatives  from  verbs  of  the  same  meaning.  The  idea  of  com- 
mander must  predominate  in  any  case,  and  is  entitled  to  the 
preference,  if  either  must  be  chosen  to  the  entire  exclusion  of 
the  other. 

5.  io,  a  nation  [that)  thou  knowest  not  thou  shalt  call,  and  a 
nation  (thai)  have  not  knoivn  thee  shall  run  unto  thee,  for  the  sake 
of  Jehovah  thy  God,  and  for  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  for  he  hath 
glorified  thee.  The  question  which  has  chiefly  divided  interpre- 
ters, in  reference  to  this  verse,  is,  whether  the  object  of  ad- 
dress is  the  Messiah  or  the  Church.  The  masculine  forms 
prove  nothing  either  way;  because  the  Church  is  sometimes 
presented  in  the  person  of  Israel,  and  sometimes  personified 
as  a  woman.  The  most  natural  supposition  is,  that  after 
speaking  of  the  Messiah,  he  now  turns  to  him  and  addresses 
him  directly.  If  this  be  so,  the  verse  affords  an  argument 
against  the  application  of  v.  4  to  David,  who  could  not  be  the 
subject  of  such  a  promise  ages  after  his  decease.  At  the  same 
time,  the  facility  with  which  the  words  can  be  applied  to  either 
subject,  may  be  considered  as  confirming  the  hypothesis,  that 
although  the  Messiah  is  the  main  subject  of  the  verse,  the 
Church  is  not  entirely  excluded.  Their  running  indicates  the 
eagerness  with  which  they  shall  attach  themselves  to  him  and 
engage  in  his  service.  For  he  hath  glorified  thee.  This  expres- 
sion is  repeatedly  used  in  the  New  Testament  with  reference 
to  Christ.  (See  John  17  :  1,  5.  Acts  3  :  13.)  The  form  of 
expression  in  a  part  of  this  verse  seems  to  be  borrowed  from 
2  Sam.  22  :  44  ;  but  the  resemblance  neither  proves  that  the 
Messiah  is  the  subject  of  that  passage  nor  that  David  is  the 
subject  of  this. 

6.  Seek  ye  Jehovah  while  he  may  he  found ;  call  ye  upon  him 


CHAPTER    LV.  313 

while  he  is  near.  The  literal  translation  would  be,  in  his  being 
founds  in  his  being  near.  By  a  sudden  apostrophe  he  turus 
from  the  Messiah  to  those  whom  he  had  come  to  save,  and  ex- 
horts them  to  embrace  this  great  salvation,  to  be  reconciled 
with  God.  A  similar  exhortation,  implying  like  the  present 
that  the  day  of  grace  is  limited,  occurs  in  Zeph.  2  :  2,  3.  The 
Jew  had  great  cause  to  beware  lest  the  Gentile  should  outstrip 
him,  and  the  Gentile  might  be  reasonably  urged  to  partake  of 
those  advantages  which  hitherto  had  been  restricted  to  the 
Jew ;  but  both  are  called  to  the  same  dut}^,  namely,  that  of 
seeking  and-  calling  upon  God,  expressions  elsewhere  used 
both  severally  and  together  to  express  the  whole  work  of  re- 
pentance, faith,  and  new  obedience. 

7.  Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way^  and  the  man  of  iniquity  his 
thoughts.)  and  let  him  return  UJito  Jehovah.^  and  he  will  have  mercy 
on  him,  and  to  our  God^for  he  will  abundantly  pardon  (literally, 
multiply  to  pardo7i).  This  is  a  continuation  of  the  foregoing  call, 
and  at  the  same  time  an  explantion  of  the  way  in  which  it  was 
to  be  obeyed.  We  are  here  taught  that  the  seeking  of  Jehovah 
and  the  calling  upon  him,  just  enjoined,  involve  an  abandonment 
of  sin  and  a  return  to  rigliteousness  of  life.  The  imperative 
version  of  the  future  is  warranted,  if  not  required,  by  the  form 
of  the  original.  Even  the  future  form,  however,  would  convey 
the  same  essential  meaning  both  in  Hebrew  and  in  English. 
The  wicked  shall  forsake  is  in  fact  the  strongest  form  of  a  com- 
mand. Way  is  a  common  figure  for  the  course  of  life.  What 
is  hei'e  meant  is  the  icay  of  the  wicked^  as  Jeremiah  calls  it  (12  :  1 ,) 
i.  e.  a  habitually  sinful  course.  The  common  version  of  the  next 
phrase  {the  unrighteous  man)  gives  the  sense  but  not  the  whole 
force  of  the  original  construction.  It  mattered  little  to  the 
writer's  purpose  whether  he  seemed  to  be  himself  the  speaker 
or  a  mere  reporter  of  the  words  of  God,  to  whom  in  either  case 
they  must  be  finally  ascribed.     Hence  the  constant  alternation 

VOL.   II. — 14 


314  CHAPTER   LV, 

of  the  first,  second,  and  third  persons,  in  a  stjle  which  sets  all 
rules  of  unity  and  rigid  laws  of  composition  at  defiance.  The 
word  translated  thoughts  is  commonly  employed  not  to  denote 
opinions  but  designs  or  purposes,  in  which  sense  it  is  joined 
with  way^  in  order  to  express  the  whole  drift  of  the  character 
and  life.  To  return  to  God  in  both  these  respects  is  a  complete 
description  of  repentance,  implying  au  entire  change  of  heart  as 
well  as  life.  The  encouragement  to  seek  God  is  not  merely 
that  he  may^  but  that  he  loill  have  mercy.  Lowth's  translation 
{ivill  receive  him  with  compassion)  is  enfeebling  as  well  as  ine.xact; 
because  the  act  of  receiving  is  implied  not  expressed,  and  the 
verb  denotes  not  mere  compassion  but  gratuitous  and  sovereign 
mercy.  There  is  further  encouragement  contained  in  the 
expression  our  God.  To  the  Jew  it  would  suggest  motives 
drawn  from  the  covenant  relation  of  Jehovah  to  his  people, 
while  the  Gentile  would  regard  it  as  an  indirect  assurance  that 
even  he  was  not  excluded  from  God's  mercy. 

8.  For  my  thoughts  {(ire)  not  your  thoughts.^  nor  your  ways  my 
ways,  saith  Jehovah.  Clear  and  simple  as  these  words  are  in 
themselves,  they  have  occasioned  much  dispute  among  inter- 
preters, in  reference  to  their  nexus  with  what  goes  before. 
The  earliest  commentators,  Jews  and  Christians,  seem  to  have 
understood  them  as  intended  to  meet  an  objection  to  the 
promise  arising  from  its  vastness  and  its  freeness,  by  assuring 
us  that  such  forgiveness,  however  foreign  from  the  feelings  and 
the  practices  of  men,  is  not  beyond  the  reach  of  the  divine  com- 
passion. As  if  he  had  said,  '  to  you  such  forgiveness  may 
appear  impossible  ;  but  my  thoughts  are  not  your  thoughts, 
neither  your  ways  my  ways.'  Thus  understood,  the  text  may 
be  compared  with  Matt.  19  :  26.  Another  explanation  rests 
upon  the  false  assumption  that  the  words  have  reference  to  the 
Jews,  and  were  intended  to  correct  their  prejudice  against  the 
calling  of  the  Gentiles  as  at  variance  with  the  promises  of  God 


CHAPTER    LV.  315 

to  themselves.  As  if  he  had  said,  '  you  may  think  the  extension 
of  my  grace  to  them  a  departure  from  my  settled  ways  and 
purposes ;  but  my  thoughts  are  not  your  thoughts,  nor  your 
ways  my  ways.'  Others  explain  them  as  denoting  the  irrevo- 
cable nature  of  God's  purposes  and  promises.  In  this  sense,  it 
may  be  considered  parallel  to  Num.  23  :  19,  and  1  Sam.  15  :  29. 
Is  31:2.  45  :  23.  But  this  is  neither  the  natural  meaning  of  the 
words,  nor  one  which  stands  in  any  obvious  relation  to  what 
goes  before.  It  is  indeed  hard  to  see  any  coherence  in  this 
sequence  of  ideas,  '  let  the  wicked  man  repent,  for  my  promise 
is  irrevocable.'  This  objection  does  not  lie  against  another 
very  ancient  explanation  of  the  passage,  founded  on  the  obvious 
correspondence  of  the  terms  employed  in  this  verse  and  in  that 
before  it,  and  especially  the  parallel  expressions  loays  and 
thoughts,  there  applied  to  man  and  here  to  God.  According  to 
this  last  interpretation,  we  have  here  a  reason  given  why  the 
sinner  must  forsake  his  ways  and  thoughts,  viz.  because  they 
are  incurably  at  variance  with  those  6f  God  himself:  'Let  the 
wicked  forsake  his  way,  and  the  unrighteous  man  his  thoughts; 
for  my  thoughts  are  not  your  thoughts,  neither  your  ways  my 
ways.'  This  interpretation  has  so  greatly  the  advantage  of  the 
others,  in  facility  and  beauty  of  connection  with  what  goes 
before,  that  it  must  be  considered  as  at  least  affording  the 
formal  basis  of  the  true  interpretation,  but  without  excluding 
wholly  the  ideas  which  according  to  the  other  theories  these 
words  express.  They  may  all  be  reconciled  indeed  by  making 
the  disparity  asserted  have  respect  not  merely  to  moral  purity, 
but  also  to  constancy,  benevolence,  and  wisdom.  As  if  he  had 
said,  '  you  must  forsake  your  evil  ways  and  thoughts,  and  by  so 
doing,  you  infallibly  secure  my  favour ;  for  as  high  as  the 
heavens  are  above  the  earth,  so  far  am  I  superior  to  you  in 
mercy,  not  only  in  the  rigour  and  extent  of  my  requirements, 
but  also  in  compassion  for  the  guilty,  in  benevolent  considera- 


316  CHAPTER   LV. 

tion  even  for  the  gentiles,  and  in  the  constancy  and  firmness  of 
my  purposes  when  formed.' 

9.  For  [as)  the  heavens  arc  higher  than  the  earthy  so  are  my 
ways  higher  than  your  ivays,  and  my  thoughts  than  your  thoughts. 
This  is  an  illustration  by  comparison  of  the  negative  assertion 
in  the  verse  preceding  The  as  in  the  first  member  of  the  com- 
parison is  left  out,  as  in  Hos.  11:2.  Ps.  48  :  6  (5.)  Job  7  :  9.  Jer. 
3  :  20.  The  full  expression  may  be  seen  in  ch.  10  :  11.  The 
Hebrew  preposition  might  here  be  taken  in  its  proper  sense  of 
from^  away  from^i  as  the  reference  is  in  fact  to  an  interval  of 
space  ;  but  our  idiom  would  hardly  bear  the  strict  translation, 
and  comparison  is  certainly  implied,  if  not  expressed.  The 
same  comparison  and  in  a  similar  application  occurs  Ps.  103  ;  11. 

10,  11.  For  as  the  rain  cometh  dow n,  and  the  snow  from  heaven^ 
and  thither  returneth  not^  but  when  it  has  watered  the  earth  and 
made  it  bear  and  put  forth  and  has  giricn  seed  to  the  sower  and 
bread  to  the  cater ^  so  shall  my  word  be  which  goclh  out  of  my  viouth; 
it  shall  ?iot  rcttirn  unto  me  void  (or  without  effect)^  but  when  it  has 
done  that  which  I  desired,  and  successfully  done  that  for  which  I 
se?it  it.  This  is  a  new  comparison,  suggested  by  the  mention 
of  the  heavens  and  the  earth  in  the  preceding  verse.  The  tenth 
and  eleventh  form  a  single  sentence  of  unusual  length  in  Hebrew 
composition.  The  one  contains  the  comparison  properly  so- 
called,  the  other  makes  the  application.  The  tvord  of  v.  11  is 
not  merely  prophecy  or  promise,  but  everything  that  God  utters 
either  in  the  way  of  prediction  or  command.  The  English 
version  refers  has  given  to  the  earth ;  but  this  construction  is 
precluded  in  Hebrew  by  the  difference  of  gender.  The  effect 
is  metaphorically  represented  as  produced  directly  by  the  rain 
and  snow.  The  general  design  of  these  two  verses  is  to  gener 
ate  and  foster  confidence  in  what  Jehovah  has  engaged  to  do. 


CHAPTER    LV.  3lT 

12.  For  ivith  joy  shall  ye  go  forth,  and  in  feace  shall  ye  be  led  ; 
the  mountains  and  the  hills  shall  break  out  before  you,  into  a  shout, 
and  all  the  trees  of  the  field  shall  dap  the  hand.  Here  as  in  many 
other  places  the  idea  of  joyful  change  is  expressed  by  repre- 
senting all  nature  as  rejoicing.  The  expression  go  forth  is 
eagerly  seized  upon  by  some  interpreters  as  justifying  the  re- 
striction of  the  passage  to  the  restoration  from  the  Babylonish 
exile.  But  the  real  allusion  in  such  cases  is  to  the  deliverance 
from  Egypt,  which  is  constantly  referred  to  as  a  type  of  deliv- 
erance in  general,  so  that  every  signal  restoration  or  deliver- 
ance is  represented  as  another  exodus. 

13.  Instead  of  the  thorn  shall  come  up  the  cypress,  and  instead 
of  the  nettle  the  myrtle,  and  it  shall  be  to  Jehovah  for  a  name,  for 
an  everlasting  sign  that  shall  not  be  cut  off.  The  same  change 
which  had  just  been  represented  by  the  shouting  of  the  hills 
and  the  applause  of  the  forests  is  now  described  'tis  the  substi- 
tution of  the  noblest  trees  for  the  most  unprofitable  and  oifen- 
sive  plants.  (Compare  ch.  41  :  19.)  An  analogous  but  differ- 
ent figure  for  the  same  thing  is  the  opening  of  rivers  in  the 
desert.  (See  above,  ch.  35  :  6,  7.  43  :  19,  20.)  Dropping  the 
metaphor,  the  Prophet  then  says,  in  direct  terms,  that  the 
change  predicted  shall  redound  to  the  glory  of  its  author.  It 
shall  be  for  a  name,  i.  e.  it  shall  serve  as  a  memorial,  which  is 
then  described  in  other  words  as  a  sign  of  perpetuity  or  ever- 
lasting token.  This  memorial  is  called  perpetual  because  it 
shall  not  be  cut  off,  pass  away,  or  be  abolished. 


318  CHAPTER  LVI. 


CHAPTER    LVI. 

While  the  church,  with  its  essential  institutions,  is  to  con- 
tinue unimpaired,  the  old  distinctions,  national  and  personal, 
are  to  be  done  away,  and  the  Jewish  people  robbed  of  that  pre- 
eminence of  which  its  rulers  proved  themselves  unworthy. 

The  day  is  coming  when  the  righteousness  of  God  is  to  be 
fully  revealed,  without  the  veils  and  shackles  which  had  hith- 
erto confined  it,  v.  1.  For  this  great  change  the  best  prepara- 
tion is  fidelity  to  the  spirit  of  the  old  economy,  v.  2.  No  per- 
sonal or  national  distinctions  will  be  any  longer  recognized,  v. 
3.  Connection  with  the  church  will  no  longer  be  a  matter  of 
hereditary  right,  vs.  4,  5.  The  church  shall  be  henceforth  co- 
extensive with  the  world,  vs.  6-8.  But  first,  the  carnal  Israel 
must  be  abandoned  to  its  enemies,  v.  9.  Its  rulers  are  neither 
able  nor  worthy  to  deliver  the  people  or  themselves,  vs.  10-12. 

1.  Thus  saith  Jehovah^  Keep  ye  judgment  (or  justice)  and  do 
righteousness  ;  for  near  (is)  my  salvation  to  come,  and  my  right- 
eousness to  be  revealed.  The  Jews  refer  this  passage  to  their 
present  dispersion,  and  understand  it  as  declaring  the  condi- 
tions of  their  restoration.  On  the  principle  heretofore  assumed, 
as  the  basis  of  our  exposition,  we  can  only  regard  it  as  a  state- 
ment of  the  general  laws  which  govern  the  divine  dispensations 
towards  the  chosen  people  and  the  world  at  large.  The  refer- 
ence is  not  merely  to  the  ancient  Israel,  much  less  to  the  Jews 
of  the  captivity,  still  less  to  the  Christian  church  distinctively 
considered,  least  of  all  to  the  Christian  church  of  any  one  pe- 
riod. The  doctrine  of  the  passage  is  simply  this,  that  they  who 
enjoy  extraordinary  privileges,  or  expect  extraordinary  favours, 
are  under  corresponding  obligations  to  do  the  will  of  God  ;  and 
moreover  that  the  nearer  the  manifestation  of  God's  mercy, 


CHAPTER   LVL  319 

whether  in  time  or  in  eternity,  the  louder  the  call  to  righteous- 
ness of  life.  These  truths  are  of  no  restricted  application,  but 
may  be  applied  wherever  the  relation  of  a  church  or  chosen 
people  can  be  recognized. 

2.  Happy  the  man  [that)  shall  do  this,  and  the  son  of  man  that 
shall  hold  it  fast,  keeping  the  sabbath  from  profaning  it,  and  keep- 
ing his  hand  from  doing  all  evil.  The  pronoun  this  seems  to  re- 
fer to  what  follows,  as  in  Ps.  7  :  4  (3)  and  Deut.  32  :  29,  Son  of 
man  is  simply  an  equivalent  expression  to  the  man  of  the  other 
clause.  The  last  clause  is  remarkable,  and  has  occasioned 
much  dispute  among  interpreters,  on  account  of  its  combining 
a  positive  and  negative  description  of  the  character  required, 
the  last  of  which  is  very  general,  and  the  first  no  less  specific. 
A  great  variety  of  reasons  have  been  given  for  the  special 
mention  of  the  Sabbath  here.  It  has  especially  perplexed  those 
writers  who  regard  the  Sabbath  as  a  temporary  ceremonial  in- 
stitution. The  true  explanation  is  afi'orded  by  a  reference  to 
the  primary  and  secondary  ends  of  the  sabbatical  institution, 
and  the  belief  involved  in  its  observance.  In  the  first  place,  it 
implied  a  recognition  of  Jehovah  as  the  omnipotent  creator  of 
the  universe  (Ex.  20  :  11.  31  :  17)  ;  in  the  next  place,  as  the 
sanctifier  of  his  people,  not  in  the  technical  or  theological  sense, 
but  as  denoting  him  by  whom  they  had  been  set  apart  as  a  pe- 
culiar people  (Ex.  31  :  13.  Ez.  20  :  12)  ;  in  the  next  place,  as 
the  Saviour  of  this  chosen  people  from  the  bondage  of  Egypt 
(Deut.  5  :  15).  Of  these  great  truths  the  Sabbath  was  a  weekly 
remembrancer,  and  its  observance  by  the  people  a  perpetual 
recognition  and  profession,  besides  the  practical  advantages  ac- 
cruing to  the  maintenance  of  a  religious  spirit  by  the  weekly 
recurrence  of  a  day  of  rest.  Holding  fast  is  a  common  idio- 
matic expression  for  consistent  perseverance  in  a  certain  course. 
It  occurs  not  unfrequently  in  the  New  Testament.  (Heb  4  :  4. 
6:  18.  Rev.  2:25.3:  11.) 


320  CHAPTER  LVI. 

3.  And  let  not  the  foreigner  say.,  tcho  has  joined  himself  unto 
Jehovah,  saying,  Jehovah  will  separate  me  wholly  from  his  people  ; 
a?id  let  not  the  eunuch  say,  Lo,  I  am  a  dry  tree.  The  esseutial 
meaning  of  this  verse  is,  that  all  external  disabilities  shall  be 
abolished,  whether  personal  or  national.  To  express  the  latter 
he  makes  use  of  a  phrase  which  strictly  means  not  the  son  of 
the  stranger,  as  the  common  version  has  it,  but  the  son  of 
strangeness,  or  of  a  strange  country.  The  whole  class  of  per- 
sonal disqualifications  is  represented  by  the  case  of  the  eunuch, 
in  reference  to  Deut.  23  :  1,  and  as  Calvin  thinks  to  the  prom- 
ise in  Gen.  15:5  and  22:  17,  from  which  that  whole  class 
was  excluded.  /  am  a  dry  tree,  a  proverbial  description  of 
childlessness,  said  to  be  still  current  in  the  east.  It  is  possible, 
however,  that  the  eunuch  may  be  mentioned,  simply  because 
he  stands  at  the  beginning  of  the  list  of  prohibitions  in  the 
law.  In  either  case,  the  expression  is  generic  or  representative 
of  more  particulars  than  it  expresses. 

4,  5.  For  thus  saith  Jehovah  to  (or,  as  to)  the  eumichs  toho 
shall  keep  my  sabbaths,  and  shall  choose  what  I  delight  in,  and 
take  fast  hold  of  my  covenant,  I  will  give  to  them  hi  my  house  and 
within  my  walls  a  place  and  name  better  than  sons  and  than 
daughters ;  an  everlasting  name  will  J  give  to  him,  lohich  shall 
not  be  cut  off.  According  to  some,  the  plural  sabbaths  is  in- 
tended to  include  the  sabbatical  year  and  that  of  jubilee.  If 
any  distinction  was  intended,  it  was  probably  that  between  the 
wider  and  narrower  meaning  of  the  term  sabbaths,  i.  e.  the 
Sabbath  properly  so  called,  and  the  other  institutions  of  reli- 
gion with  which  it  is  connected.  What  it  is  that  God  delights 
in,  may  be  learned  from  ch.  66  :  4.  Jer.  9  :  24.  IIos.  6  :  6.  By 
holding  fast  my  covenant  is  meant  adhering  to  his  compact 
rrith  me,  which  includes  obedience  to  the  precepts  and  faith  in 
the  promises.  By  ony  walls  we  are  not  to  understand  those 
of  Jerusalem,  nor,  with  the  modern  writers,  those  of  the  tem- 


CHAPTER    LVI.  321 

pie,  but  in  a  more  ideal  sense,  the  walls  of  God's  house  or 
dwelling,  which  had  just  been  mentioned.  The  promise  is  not 
merely  one  of  free  access  to  the  material  sanctuary,  but  of  a 
home  in  the  household  or  family  of  God,  an  image  of  perpetual 
occurrence  in  the  Psalms  of  David.  Belter  than  sons  and 
daughters  may  either  mean  better  than  the  comfort  immediate- 
ly derived  from  children  (as  in  Ruth  4  :  15),  or  better  than  the 
perpetuation  of  the  name  by  hereditary  succession.  Most  in- 
terpreters prefer  the  latter  sense,  but  both  may  be  included. 
A  beautiful  coincidence  and  partial  fulfilment  of  the  promise 
has  been  pointed  out  in  the  case  of  the  Ethiopian  eunuch 
whose  conversion  is  recorded  in  the  eighth  of  Acts,  and  whose 
memory  is  far  more  honoured  in  the  church  than  it  could  have 
been  by  a  long  line  of  illustrious  descendants. 

6,  7.  And  (as  to)  the  foreigners  joining  themselves  to  Jehovah^  to 
serve  him  and  to  love  the  name  of  Jehovah,  to  hetohirp,  for  servants^ 
every  one  keepitig  the  Sabbath  from  profaning  it,  and  holding  fast 
my  covenant,  I  loill  bring  them  to  my  mount  of  holiness,  and  make 
them  joyful  in  my  house  of  prayer  ;  their  offerings  and  their  sacri- 
fices {shall  be)  to  acceptance  on  my  altar ;  for  my  house  shall  be 
called  a  house  of  prayer  for  all  nations.  The  verb  i^t!'^,  although 
strictly  a  generic  term,  is  specially  appropriated  to  the  ofi&cial 
service  of  the  priests  and  Levites.  Some  interpreters  accord- 
ingly suppose  it  to  be  here  said  that  the  heathen  shall  partake 
of  the  sacerdotal  honours  elsewhere  promised  to  the  church. 
(See  ch.  61  :  6.  Ex.  19  :  6.  1  Pet.  2  :  5,  9.  Rev.  1  :  6.)  To 
love  the  name  of  Jehovah,  is  to  love  his  attributes  as  mani- 
fested in  his  word  and  works.  (Compare  ch.  60  :  9.  66  :  5.) 
Shall  be  called,  as  in  many  other  cases,  implies  that  it  shall  be 
so.  Our  Saviour  quotes  a  part  of  the  last  clause,  not  in  refer- 
ence to  its  main  sense,  but  to  what  is  incidentally  mentioned, 
viz.  its  being  called  a  house  of  prayer.  This  part  of  the  sen- 
tence was  applicable  to  the  material  temple  while  it  lasted  ;  but 

14* 


322  CHAPTER    LVI. 

the  whole  prediction  could  be  verified  only  after  its  destruction, 
■when  the  house  of  God  even  upon  earth  ceased  to  be  a  limited 
locality,  and  became  co-extensive  with  the  church  in  its  en- 
largement and  diffusion.  The  form  of  expression  is  derived, 
however,  from  the  ceremonies  of  the  old  economy,  and  worship 
is  described  by  names  familiar  to  the  writer  and  his  original 
readers.  (Compare  Hos.  14  :  3.  Heb.  13  :  13.  John  4  :  21- 
23.)  The  general  promise  is  the  same  as  that  in  Mai.  1:11, 
and  is  so  far  from  being  inconsistent  with  the  principles  on 
which  the  old  economy  was  founded,  that  it  simply  carries  out 
its  original  design  as  settled  and  announced  from  the  begin- 
ning. 

8.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah^  the  gatherer  of  the  outcasts  of 
Israel^  Still  {more)  will  I  gather  upon  him  {in  additio7i)  to  his 
gathered.  This  may  either  mean,  I  will  go  on  to  gather  still 
more  of  his  outcasts,  or,  besides  his  outcasts  I  will  gather 
others.  There  is  less  difference  between  the  two  interpreta- 
tions than  at  first  sight  there  might  seem  to  be.  In  either 
case  the  words  are  applicable  to  the  calling  of  the  gentiles. 
On  the  second  supposition,  which  is  commonly  adopted,  even 
by  the  Jewish  writers,  this  is  the  direct  and  proper  meaning 
of  the  words.  But  even  on  the  other,  they  amount  to  the 
same  thing,  if  we  only  give  to  Israel  its  true  sense,  as  denoting 
not  the  Jewish  nation  as  such,  but  the  chosen  people  or  the 
church  of  God,  to  which  the  elect  heathen  as  really  belong  as 
the  elect  Jews,  and  are  therefore  just  as  much  entitled  to  be 
called  outcasts  of  Israel.  It  is  true  that  our  Saviour  uses  a 
similar  expression  (lost  sheep  of  the  House  of  Israel)  in  a  re- 
stricted application  to  the  Israelites  properly  so  called ;  but  it 
is  in  a  connection  which  brings  the  Jews  and  Gentiles  into  evi- 
dent antithesis,  and  therefore  leaves  no  doubt  as  to  the  sense  in 
which  the  name  Israel  is  to  be  understood. 


CHAPTER    LVI.  323 

9.  All  ye  beasts  of  theficld^  come  to  devour^  all  ye  beasts  in  the 
forest  !  The  structure  of  this  verse  is  somewhat  unusual,  con- 
sisting of  two  parallel  members,  with  a  third,  equally  related  to 
both,  interposed  between  them.  It  is  an  invitation  to  the  ene- 
mies of  Israel  to  destroy  it.  The  people  being  represented,  in 
the  following  verses,  as  a  flock,  their  destroyers  are  naturally 
represented  here  as  wild  beasts.  Some  understand  the  invita- 
tion as  ironical,  or  as  a  mere  poetical  description  of  the  de- 
fenceless state  in  which  Israel  was  left  through  the  neglect  of 
its  natural  protectors.  It  is  more  natural,  however,  to  explain 
it  as  an  indirect  prediction  of  an  actual  event,  clothed  in 
Isaiah's  favourite  form  of  an  apostrophe.  All  the  modern 
writers  seem  to  be  agreed  that  the  last  clause  as  well  as  the 
first  is  a  description  of  the  object  of  address,  and  that  the  thing 
to*  be  devoured  must  be  supplied  from  the  following  verses. 
With  the  metaphors  of  this  verse  compare  Ex.  23  :  29.  Ez.  34 . 
5-8.  Jer.  7  :  33.  12  :  9,  50  :  17.  Beasts  of  the  field  and  of  the 
forest  are  parallel  expressions.  '^ 

10.  His  watchmen  (arc)  blind  all  of  them^  they  have  not  known 
(or  do  not  know),  all  of  them  {ore)  dumb  dogs,  they  cannot  bark, 
dreaming,  lying  down,  loving  to  sluinber.  The  pronoun  his  refers 
to  Israel,  as  in  v.  8,  and  thus  proves  clearly  that  no  new  discourse 
begins  either  with  verse  9  or  with  that  before  us.  Many  give 
do  not  know  the  absolute  sense  of  knowing  nothing,  being  with- 
out knowledge  ;  but  in  all  such  cases  it  seems  better  to  connect 
it  with  a  definite  object  understood.  We  may  here  supply  their 
duty,  or  the  state  of  the  flock,  or  the  danger  to  which  it  is  ex- 
posed. The  difi"erence  between  the  past  and  present  form  is  im- 
material here ;  because  both  are  really  included,  the  condition 
described  being  one  of  ancient  date,  but  still  continued.  The 
dogs  particularly  meant  are  shepherds'  dogs  (Job  30  :  1),  whose 
task  it  was  to  watch  the  flock,  and  by  their  barking  to  give  no- 
tice of  approaching  danger.     But  these  are  dumb  dogs  which 


324  CHATTER    LVI. 

cannot  even  bark,  and  therefore  wholly  useless,  They  are  also 
negligent  and  lazy.  Far  from  averting  peril  or  announcing  it, 
they  do  not  see  it.  What  was  before  expressed  by  the  figure  of  a 
blind  watchman,  is  here  expressed  by  that  of  a  shepherd's  dog 
asleep.  Some  writers  make  the  watchmen  of  this  verse  denote 
the  prophets,  as  in  ch.  52  :  8.  Jer.  6  :  17.  Ez.  3  :  17.  33  :  7. 
But  others  more  correctly  understand  it  as  a  figure  for  the 
rulers  of  the  people  generally,  not  excluding  even  the  false 
prophets.  The  figurative  title  is  expressive  of  that  watch- 
fulness so  frequently  described  in  the  New  Testament  as  an 
essential  attribute  of  spiritual  guides. 

11.  And  the  dogs  are  greedy,  they  know  not  satiety^  and  they, 
the  shepherds  (or  the  shepherds  themselves),  know  7iot  hoiv  to  dis- 
tinguish (or  ad  wisely)  ;  all  of  tJiem  to  their  ow?i  ivay  are  turned, 
{every)  man  to  his  own  gain  from  his  own  quarter  (or  without  ex- 
ception). A  new  turn  is  now  given  to  the  figures  of  the  pre- 
ceding verse.  The  dogs,  though  indolent,  are  greedy.  The 
pronoun  they  is  emphatic,  and  may  either  mean  that  these  same 
dogs  are  at  the  same  time  shepherds,  thus  affording  a  transi- 
tion to  a  different  though  kindred  image,  or  it  may  be  intended 
to  distinguish  between  two  kinds  of  rulers  ;  as  if  he  had  said, 
while  the  dogs  are  thus  indolent  and  greedy,  they  (the  shep- 
herds) are  incompetent ;  or,  while  the  shepherds'  dogs  are  such, 
the  shepherds  themselves  know  not  how  to  distinguish.  The 
latter  is  probably  the  true  construction ;  for  although  the  same 
class  of  persons  may  be  successively  compared  to  shepherds' 
dogs  and  shepherds,  it  cannot  even  by  a  figure  of  speech  be 
naturally  said  that  the  dogs  themselves  are  shepherds.  That 
voluptuous  as  well  as  avaricious  indulgences  are  here  referred 
to,  is  apparent  from  what  follows  in  the  next  verse.  The  last 
word  literally  means  from  his  end  or  his  extremity,  to  which  the 
older  writers  gave  the  sense  of  his  quarter  or  direction,  cor- 
responding to  his  own  way. 


CHAPTER    LVII.  326 

12.  Come  ye^  I  will  fetch  wine,  and  we  will  intoxicate  ourselves 
with  strong  drink,  and  like  to-day  [shall  be)  to-morrow^  great, 
abundantly,  exceedingly.  The  description  of  the  revellers  is 
verified  by  quoting  their  own  words,  as  in  ch.  22  :  13.  The 
language  is  that  of  one  inviting  others  to  join  in  a  debauch  ; 
hence  the  alternation  of  the  singular  and  plural.  The  last 
clause  professes  or  expresses  a  determination  to  prolong  the 
revel  till  the  morrow. 


CHAPTER    LVII. 

The  righteous  who  died  during  the  old  economy  were  taken 
away  from  the  evil  to  come,  vs.  1 ,  2.  The  wicked  who  despised 
them  were  themselves  proper  objects  of  contempt,  vs.  3,  4. 
Their  idolatry  is  first  described  in  literal  terms,  vs  5,  6.  It 
is  then  represented  as  a  spiritual  adultery,  vs.  7-9.  Their 
obstinate  persistency  in  sin  is  repi'esented  as  the  cause  of  their 
hopeless  and  remediless  destruction,  vs.  10-13.  A  way  is  pre- 
pared for  the  spiritual  Israel  to  come  out  from  among  them, 
V.  14.  The  hopes  of  true  believers  shall  not  be  deferred 
forever,  vs.  15,  16.  Even  these,  however,  must  be  chastened 
for  their  sins,  v.  17.  But  there  is  favour  in  reserve  for  all  true 
penitents,  without  regard  to  national  distinctions,  vs.  18,  19. 
To  the  incorrigible  sinner,  on  the  other  hand,  peace  is  impos- 
sible, vs.  20,  21. 

1.  The  righteous  perishcth,  and  there  is  no  man  layivg  {it)  to 
heart,  and  men  of  m"rcy  are  talien  away,  with  none  conn'h.ring 
(or  perceiving)  that  from  the  presence  of  evil  the  righteous  is  taken 


326  CHAPTER   LVII. 

away.  The  terms  of  this  verse  are  specifically  applicable 
neither  to  violent  nor  to  natural  death  as  such  considered,  but 
are  equally  appropriate  to  either.  Laying  to  heart  is  not  merely 
feeling  or  appreciating,  but  observing  and  perceiving.  Mm  of 
mercy  is  another  description  of  the  righteous,  so  called  as  the 
objects  of  God's  mercy  and  as  being  merciful  themselves. 
(See  Matt.  5  :  7.)  The  last  verb  is  doubly  appropriate,  first  in 
its  general  though  secondary  sense  of  taking  awa}',  and  then 
in  its  primary  specific  sense  of  gathering,  i.  e.  gathering  to 
one's  fathers  or  one's  people,  an  expression  frequently  ap- 
plied in  the  Old  Testament  to  death,  and  especially  to  that  of 
godly  men.  (See  G-en.  49  :  29.  Judges  2  :  10.)  The  verb  is 
used  absolutely  in  this  sense  by  Moses  (Num.  20  :  26.) 

2.  He  shall  go  in  fcace  (or  enter  into  peace) — they  shall  rest 
upon  their  beds — tvalking  straight  before  him.  The  alternation 
of  the  singular  and  plural  shows  that  the  subject  of  the  sen- 
tence is  a  collective  person.  The  explanation  commonly  ap- 
proved is  that  which  makes  the  last  phrase  an  additional  de- 
scription of  the  righteous,  as  one  walking  in  his  uprightness. 
It  seems  to  be  added  as  a  kind  of  afterthought,  to  limit  what 
immediately  precedes,  and  preclude  its  application  to  all  the 
dead  without  distinction.  The  peace  and  rest  here  meant  are 
those  of  the  body  in  the  grave  and  of  the  soul  in  heaven  ;  the 
former  being  frequently  referred  to  as  a  kind  of  pledge  and 
adumbration  of  the  latter. 

3.  And  ye  (or  as  for  yon),  draw  near  hither,  ye  sois  of  the  ivitch, 
seed  of  the  adulterer  and  the  harlot.  These  words  are  addressed 
to  the  survivors  of  the  judgments  by  which  the  righteous  are 
described  as  having  been  removed.  They  are  summoned  to 
receive  their  punishment,  or  at  least  to  appear  before  the  judg- 
ment-seat. (Compare  ch.  41  :  1.)  The  description  which  fol- 
lows was  of  course  designed  to  be  extremely  opprobrious ;  but 


CHAPTER    LVII.  327 

interpreters  differ  as  to  the  precise  sense  of  the  terras  employed. 
Some  suppose  that  instead  of  simply  charging  them  with  certain 
crimes,  he  brings  the  charge  against  their  parents,  a  species  of 
reproach  peculiarly  offensive  to  the  orientals.  The  older  writers 
give  a  more  specific  meaning  to  the  Prophet's  metaphors,  under- 
standing by  the  adulterer  the  idol,  by  the  harlot  the  apostate 
church,  and  by  the  children  the  corrupted  offspring  of  this 
shameful  apostasy.  The  occult  arts  are  mentioned  as  insepara- 
ble adjuncts  of  idolatry.  Whoredom  and  sorcery  are  again 
combined  in  Mai.  3  :  5,  and  elsewhere. 

4.  At  whom  do  you  amuse  yourselves  ?  At  whom  do  you  enlarge 
the  mouthy  prolong  the  tongue  ?  Are  you  not  children  of  rebellion 
(or  apostasy),  a  seed  of  falsehood  ?  This  retorts  the  impious  con- 
tempt of  the  apostates  on  themselves.  There  is  no  need,  however, 
of  supposing  that  they  had  cast  these  very  same  reproaches  on 
the  godly.  The  meaning  is  not  necessarily  that  they  were  what 
they  falsely  charged  their  brethren  with  befng.  All  that  is 
certainly  implied  is.  that  they  were  unworthy  to  treat  them  with 
contempt.  The  opening  or  stretching  of  the  mouth  in  mockery 
is  mentioned  Ps.  22  :  7,  13.  35  :  21.  Lam.  2  :  16,  and  in  chap. 
58  :  9  below.  The  lolling  of  the  tongue  as  a  derisive  gesture  is 
referred  to  by  Persius  in  poetry  and  Livy  in  prose.  The  form 
of  expostulation  is  similar  to  that  in  eh.  37  :  23.  Here,  as  in 
the  preceding  verse,  some  regard  seed  and  children  as  mere  idio- 
matic pleonasms,  or  at  most,  as  rhetorical  embellishments.  Of 
those  who  understand  them  strictly,  some  suppose  the  qualities 
of  falsehood  and  apostasy  to  be  predicated  of  the  parents,  others 
of  the  children.  Both  are  probably  included  ;  they  were  worthy 
of  their  parentage,  and  diligently  filled  up  the  measure  of  their 
fathers'  iniquity.  (Sec  ch.  I  :  4.)  By  '  a  seed  of  falsehood'  we 
may  understand  a  spurious  brood,  and  at  the  same  time  one 
itself  perfidious  and  addicted  to  a  false  religion. 


328  CHAPTER  LVII. 

5.  Inflamed  (or  infiaming  yourselves)  among  the  oaks  (or  tere- 
binths), under  every  green  tree,  slaughtering  the  children  in  the 
valleys,  under  the  clefts  of  the  rocks.  Their  idolatrous  practices 
are  now  described  in  detail.  The  first  word  of  this  verse 
properly  denotes  libidinous  excitement,  and  is  here  used  with 
reference  to  the  previous  representation  of  idolatry  as  spiritual 
whoredom  or  adultery.  There  seems  to  be  an  allusion  to  the 
valleys  round  Jerusalem,  in  one  of  which,  the  valley  of  the  son 
of  Hinnora,  we  know  that  Moloch  was  adored  with  human  vic- 
tims. The  clefts  of  the  rocks,  or  cliffs  projecting  in  consequence 
of  excavations,  is  a  circumstance  perfectly  in  keeping  with  the 
topography  of  that  spot.  The  minute  description  of  idolatry 
given  in  this  passage  is  exceedingly  perplexing  to  those  writers 
who  fix  the  date  of  composition  at  the  period  of  the  exile.  A 
perfect  solution  of  the  difficulty  is  afforded  by  our  own  hypothe- 
sis, that  the  Prophet,  from  the  whole  field  of  vision  spread 
before  him,  singles  out  the  most  revolting  traits  and  images  by 
which  he  could  present  in  its  true  aspect  the  guilt  and  madness 
of  apostasy  from  God. 

6.  Among  the  smooth  (stones)  of  the  valley  (or  the  brook)  is  thy 
portion;  they,  they,  are  thy  lot ;  also  to  them  hast  thou  poured  out 
a  drink-offering,  thou  hast  brought  up  a  meal-offering.  Shall  1 
for  these  things  be  consoled  (i.  e.  satisfied  without  revenge)  ?  Thy 
portion,  i.  e.  the  objects  of  thy  choice  and  thy  affection  (Jer. 
10  :  16).  The  word  stones  is  correctly  supplied  in  the  English 
version.  (See  1  Sam.  17:40.)  Others  supply  pZaces,  and  sup- 
pose the  phrase  to  mean  open  cleared  spots  in  the  midst  of 
wooded  valleys,  places  cleared  for  the  performance  of  religious 
rites.  In  favour  of  this  meaning,  is  the  not  unfrequent  use  of 
the  Hebrew  word  to  signify  not  hairy,  and  in  figurative  applica- 
tion to  the  earth,  not  wooded,  free  from  trees.  Smooth  stones 
may  mean  either  polished  or  anointed  stones,  such  as  were  set 
up  by  the  patriarchs  as  memorials  (Gen.  28  ;  18.  35 ;  14),  and 


CHAPTER    LVII.  329 

by  the  heathen  as  objects  of  worship.  Thus  Arnobius  says,  that 
before  his  conversion  to  Christianity  he  never  saw  an  oiled 
stone  without  addressing  it  and  praying  to  it.  This  explana- 
tion of  the  first  clause  agrees  best  with  what  follows  and  with 
the  emphatic  repetition,  they^  they^  are  thy  jwrtion,  which  is  more 
natural  in  reference  to  the  objects  than  to  the  mere  place  of 
worship. 

7.  On  a  high  and  elevated  mountain  thou  hast  placed  thy  bed  ; 
also  there  (or  even  thither)  hast  thou  gone  up  to  offer  sacrifice.  The 
figure  of  adulterous  attachment  is  resumed.  (Compare  Ez. 
16  :  24,  25,  31.)  That  the  mountain  is  not  used  as  a  mere 
figure  for  an  elevated  spot  is  clear  from  the  obvious  antithesis 
between  it  and  the  valleys  before  mentioned.  Still  less  ground 
is  there  for  supposing  any  reference  to  the  worship  of  moun- 
tains themselves.  By  the  bed  here,  some  understand  the 
couch  on  which  the  ancients  reclined  at  their  sacrificial  feasts. 
All  other  writers  seem  to  give  it  the  same  sense  as  in  Prov. 
7  :  17,  and  Ezek.  23:  17.  In  the  last  clause  the  figure  is  re- 
solved and  making  the  bed  explained  to  mean  offering  sacrifice. 

8.  And  behind  the  door  and  the  door-post  thou  hast  placed  thy 
memorial^  for  away  from  me  thou  hast  uncovered  (thyself  or  thy 
bed),  and  hast  gone  up,  thou  hast  enlarged  thy  bed  and  hast 
covenanted  with  them,  (or  with  some  of  them),  thou  hast  loved 
their  bed,  thou  hast  provided  room.  Interpreters  are  much 
divided  as  to  the  particular  expressions  of  this  very  obscure 
verse,  although  agreed  in  understanding  it  as  a  description  of 
the  grossest  idolatry.  The  image  of  a  false  god  may  be 
reckoned  its  memorial,  or  that  which  brings  to  mind  the  ab- 
sent object.  Perhaps  they  are  here  described  as  thrusting  the 
memorial  of  Jehovah  into  a  corner  to  make  room  for  that  of 
the  beloved  idol.  Some  suppose  a  special  reference  to  the 
worship  of  Penates,  Lares,  or  household  gods.     The  rest  of 


330  CHAPTER  LVII. 

the  verse  describes  idolatry  as  adulterous  intercourse  with  them. 
Room,  literally  hand,  as  in  ch.  56  :  5. 

9.  A?id  thou  hast  gone  to  the  king  in  oil  and  hast  multiplied 
thine  unguents,  and  hast  sent  thine  ambassadors  even  to  a  far-cff 
{land,)  and  hast  gone  (or  sent)  doivn  even  to  hell.  The  first  verb 
has  been  variously  explained  as  meaning  to  see,  to  look  around, 
to  appear,  to  be  adorned,  to  sing,  to  carry  gifts.  By  the  king 
some  understand  the  king  of  Babylon  or  Egypt,  and  refer  the 
clause  to  the  eagerness  with  which  the  Prophet's  contem- 
poraries sought  out  foreign  alliances.  Most  writers  under- 
stand it  as  a  name  for  idols  generally,  or  for  Moloch  in  par- 
ticular. "i^.^^S  is  commonly  explained  to  mean  with  oil  or 
ointment  (as  a  gift) ;  but  some  understand  it  to  mean  in  oil, 
i.  e.  anointed,  beautified,  adorned.  Upon  the  explanation  of 
this  phrase  of  course  depends  that  of  the  next,  where  unguents 
are  said  to  be  multiplied,  either  in  the  way  of  gifts  to  others 
or  as  means  of  self-adornment. 

10.  In  the  greatness  of  thy  way  (or  the  abundance  of  thy 
travel)  thou  hast  laboured ;  (but)  thou  hast  not  said,  There  is  no 
hope.  Thou,  hast  found  the  life  of  thy  hand  ;  therefore  thou  art 
not  weak.  Whether  ivay  be  understood  as  a  figure  for  the 
whole  course  of  life,  or  as  involving  a  specific  allusion  to  the 
journeys  mentioned  in  v.  9,  the  general  sense  is  still  the  same, 
viz.  that  no  exertion  in  the  service  of  her  false  gods  could 
weary  or  discourage  her.  This  is  so  obviously  the  meaning 
of  the  whole,  that  the  common  version  thov.  art  wearied,  seems 
to  be  precluded,  the  rather  as  the  verb  may  be  used  to  denote 
the  cause  as  well  as  the  efi"ect,  i.  e.  exertion  no  less  than 
fatigue.  The  essential  idea  conveyed  by  the  obscure  phrase 
life  of  thy  hand  is  that  of  strength.  In  translation  this  essen- 
tial sense  may  be  conveyed  under  several  difi"erent  forms  :  Thou 
hast  found  thy  hand  still  alive,  or  still  able  to  sustain  life.  etc. 


CHAPTER    LVII.  331 

1 1 .  And  whom  hast  thou  feared  and  been  afraid  of  that  thou 
shouldest  lie  ?  and  me  thou  hast  not  remcvibercd^  thou  hast  not 
called  to  mind  (or  laid  to  heart).  Is  it  not  (because)  I  hold  my 
peace^  and  that  of  old,  that  thou  wilt  not  fear  me  ?  They  have 
no  real  fear  of  God ;  why  then  should  they  aiFect  to  serve 
him  ?  His  forbearance  only  served  to  harden  and  embolden 
them.  '  Have  I  not  long  kept  silence  1  It  cannot  be  that  you 
fear  me.'  The  image  is  identical  with  that  presented  in 
ch.  42  :  14.     See  also  ch.  40  :  27.  51  :  12,  13. 

12.  J  will  declare  thy  righteousness  and  thy  7vorks,  and  they 
shall  not  profit  (or  avail)  thee.  The  earlier  writers  make  the 
first  clause  ironical ;  but  this  is  unnecessary,  as  the  simplest 
and  most  obvious  construction  is  in  all  respects  the  most  satis- 
factory. I  will  declare  thy  righteousness^  i.  e.  I  will  show  clearly 
whether  thou  art  righteous,  and  in  order  to  do  this  I  must  de- 
clare thy  works  ;  and  if  this  is  done,  they  canipt  profit  thce^  be- 
cause instead  of  justifying  they  will  condemn  thee. 

13.  In  thy  crying  (i,  e.  when  thou  criest  for  help),  let  thy 
gatherings  save  thee  !  And  (yet)  all  of  them  the  wind  shall  take 
up  and  a  breath  shall  take  atvay,  and  the  [one)  trusting  in  me  shall 
inherit  the  land  and  possess  my  holy  mountain.  This  is  merely 
a  strong  contrast  between  the  impotence  of  idols  and  the 
power  of  Jehovah  to  protect  their  followers  respectively. 
Some  understand  the  word  translated  gatherings  generically, 
as  denoting  all  that  they  could  scrape  together  for  their  own 
security,  including  idols,  armies,  and  all  other  objects  of  re- 
liance. Those  who  restrict  the  passage  to  the  Babylonish 
exile  must  of  course  explain  the  promise  as  relating  merely  to 
the  restoration ;  but  the  context  and  the  usage  of  the  Scrip- 
tures is  in  favour  of  a  wider  explanation,  in  which  the  posses- 
sion of  the  land  is  an  appointed  symbol  of  the  highest  bless- 
ings which  are  in  reserve  for  true  believers  here  and  hereafter. 


332  CHAPTER    L VII. 

14.  And  he  shall  saij^  Cast  up,  cast  %p,  clear  the  way,  take  vp 
the  stumbling-block  from  the  way  of  my  people  !  He  who  had 
long  been  silent  speaks  at  last,  and  that  to  announce  the  resto- 
ration of  his  people.  The  image  here  presented,  and  the  form 
of  the  expression,  are  the  same  as  in  ch.  35  :  8.  40  :  3.  49  :  11. 
62  :  10. 

15.  Foi-  thus  saith  the  High  and  Exalted  One,  inhabiting  eter- 
nity, and  Holy  is  his  name  ;  On  high  and  holy  will  I  dimll,  and 
with  the  broken  and  humble  of  spirit,  to  revive  the  spirit  of  the  hum- 
ble, and  to  revive  the  heart  of  the  broken  Xpt  contrite  ones).  This 
verse  assigns  a  reason  why  the  foregoing  promise  might  be 
trusted,  notwithstanding  the  infinite  disparity  between  the  giv- 
er and  the  objects  of  his  favour.  Notwithstanding  the  intimate 
connection  of  the  verses,  there  is  no  need  of  referring  thus  sallh 
to  what  goes  before,  as  if  he  had  said,  these  assurances  are  ut- 
tered by  the  High  and  Exalted  One.  Analogy  and  usage 
necessarily  connect  them  with  what  follows,  the  relation  of  the 
verse  to  that  before  it  being  clearly  indicated  by  the  for  at  the 
beginning.  You  need  not  hesitate  to  trust  the  promise  which 
is  involved  in  this  command,  for  the  High  and  Holy  One  baa 
made  the  following  solemn  declaration.  The  only  reason  for 
translating  s'yaD  exalted  rather  than  lofty,  is  that  the  former  re- 
tains the  participial  form  of  the  original.  The  same  two  epi- 
thets are  joined  in  ch.  6:1,  which  is  regarded  by  the  modern 
critics  as  the  oldest  extant  composition  of  Isaiah.  Compare 
with  this  verse  ch.  33  :  5.  63  :  15.  66  :  1,  2.  Ps.  22  :  4.  113:  5, 
6.    138:6. 

16.  For  not  to  eternity  loill  Icotiiend,  and  not  to  perpetuity  will 
I  be  wroth  ;  for  the  spirit  from  before  me  will  fa.int,  and  the  souls 
{tc/iirh)  I  have  made.  A  reason  for  exercising  mercy  is  here 
drawn  from  the  frailty  of  the  creature.  (Compare  ch.  42  :  3, 
Ps.   78:38,  39.   103:9,   14.)     SuflFering  being  always  repre- 


CHAPTER    LVIL  333 

sented  in  Scripture  as  the  consequence  of  sin,  its  infliction  is 
often  metaphorically  spoken  of  as  a  divine  quarrel  or  contro- 
versy with  the  sufferer.  From  before  me  is  connected  by  the 
Hebrew  accents  with  the  verb  to  faint,  and  indicates  God's  pres- 
ence as  the  cause  of  the  depression.  A  more  pei'fect  parallel- 
ism would,  however,  be  obtained  by  understanding /ro»i  before  me 
as  referring  to  the  origin  of  human  life  and  as  corresponding  to 
the  words  which  I  have  made  in  the  other  member. 

17.  For  his  covetous  iniquity  I  am  wroth  and  will  smite  him,  (/ 
will)  hide  me  and  will  be  wroth  ;  for  he  has  gone  on  turning  away 
(i.  e.  persevering  in  apostasy)  in,  the  way  of  his  heart  (or  of  his 
own  inclination).  The  futures  in  the  first  clause  show  that 
both  the  punishment  and  mercy  are  still  future.  The  first 
phrase  in  the  verse  has  been  variously  understood.  Some  sup- 
pose covetousness  to  be  here  used  in  a  wide  sense  for  all  selfish 
desires  or  undue  attachment  to  the  things  of  time  and  sense,  a 
usage  which  they  think  may  be  distinctly  traced  both  in  the 
Old  and  New  Testament.  (See  Ps.  119  :  36.  Ez.  33  :  31. 
1  Tim.  6  :  10.  Eph.  5  :  5.)  Perhaps  the  safest  and  most  satis- 
factory explanation  is  that  which  adheres  to  the  strict  sense  of 
the  word,  but  supposes  covetousness  to  be  here  considered  as  a 
temptation  and  incentive  to  other  forms  of  sin.  The  singular 
pronouns  his  and  him  refer  to  the  collective  noun  people,  or 
rather  to  Israel  as  an  ideal  person.  In  the  last  clause  the 
writer  suddenly  reverts  from  the  future  to  the  past,  in  order  to 
assign  the  cause  of  the  infliction  threatened  in  the  first.  This 
connection  can  be  rendered  clear  in  English  only  by  the  use  of 
the  word/or,  although  the  literal  translation  would  be  and  he  went. 

18.  His  ways  I  have  seen,  and  I  loill  Jieal  him,  and  will  guide 
him,  and  restore  comforts  unto  hi7n  and  to  his  mourners.  The 
healing  here  meant  is  forgiveness  and  conversion,  with  a  refer- 
ence to  ch.  6 :  10  and  Ps.  41 :  5  (4.)     This  obvious  meaning  of 


334  CHAPTER   LVII. 

the  figure  creates  a  difficulty  in  explaining  the  foregoing  words 
so  as  to  make  the  connection  appear  natural.  Some  suppose  an 
antithesis,  and  make  the  particle  adversative.  '  I  have  seen 
his  (evil)  ways,  but  I  will  (nevertheless)  heal  him.'  There  is 
then  a  promise  of  gratuitous  forgiveness  similar  to  that  in  ch. 
43  :  25  and  48  :  9.  The  promise  to  restore  consolation  implies 
not  only  that  it  had  been  once  enjoyed  but  also  that  it  should 
compensate  for  the  intervening  sorrows,  as  the  Hebrew  word 
means  properly  to  make  good  or  indemnify. 

19.  Creating  the  fruit  of  the  lips.  Peace  ^  peace  to  the  far  off  and 
to  the  near.)  saith  Jehovah,  and  I  heal  him.  The  fruit  or  product 
of  the  lips  is  speech,  and  creating  as  usual  implies  almighty 
power  and  a  new  effect.  By  i\\Q  far  and  near  some  understand 
the  Jews  and  Gentiles  (compare  Acts  10  ;  34-36.  Eph.  2  :  17) ; 
others,  all  the  Jews  wherever  scattered  (ch.  43  :  5-7.  49  :  12). 
The  Targum  makes  the  distinction  an  internal  one,  the  just 
who  have  kept  the  law,  who  have  returned  to  it  by  sincere  re- 
pentance. Some  understand  the  words  as  abolishing  all  differ- 
ence between  the  earlier  and  later  converts,  an  idea  similar  to 
that  embodied  in  our  Saviour's  parable  of  the  labourers  in  the 
vineyard. 

20.  And  the  wicked  {are)  like  the  troubled  sea,  for  rest  it  cannot^ 
and  its  waters  cast  up  mire  and  dirt.  Interpreters  are  common- 
ly agreed  in  making  this  verse  a  necessary  limitation  of  the 
foregoing  promise  to  its  proper  objects.  There  is  a  force  in 
the  original  which  cannot  be  retained  in  a  translation  arising 
from  the  etymological  affinity  between  the  words  translated 
wicked,  troubled,  and  cast  up.  Among  the  various  epithets  ap- 
plied to  sinners,  the  one  here  used  is  that  which  originally 
signifies  their  turbulence  or  restlessness.  Lowth's  version  of  this 
last  clause  is  more  than  usually  plain  and  vigorous  :  its  tcaiers 
work  up  mire  and  filth.     The  verb  means  strictly  to  expel  or  drive 


CHAPTER    LVIII.  335 

out,  and  is  therefore  happily  descriptive  of  the  natural  process 
here  referred  to.  There  seems  to  be  allusion  to  this  verse  in 
Judev.  13. 

21.  There  is  no  peace,  saith  my  God,  to  the  ivicked.  That 
peace  is  here  to  be  taken  in  its  strict  sense,  and  not  in  that  of 
welfare  or  prosperity,  is  clear  from' the  comparison  in  the  pre- 
ceding verse.  This  verse,  according  to  some  writers,  closes 
the  second  great  division  of  the  Later  Prophecies.  For  the 
true  sense  of  the  words  themselves,  see  above,  on  ch.  48  :  22. 


CHAPTER    LVIII. 

The  rejection  of  Israel  as  a  nation  is  the  'just  reward  of 
their  unfaithfulness,  v.  1.  Their  religious  services  are  hypo- 
critical, V.  2  Their  mortifications  and  austerities  are  nullified 
by  accompanying  wickedness,  vs.  3-5.  They  should  have  been 
connected  with  the  opposite  virtues,  vs.  6 — 7.  In  that  case 
they  would  have  continued  to  enjoy  the  divine  favour,  vs.  8,  9. 
They  are  still  invited  to  make  trial  of  this  course,  with  an 
ample  promise  of  prosperity  and  blessing  to  encourage  them, 
vs.  10-14. 

1.  Crp  with  the  throat,  spare  not,  like  the  trumpet  raise  thy  voice, 
and  tell  to  my  people  their  transgression  and  to  the  house  of  Jacob 
their  si>is.  Although  this  may  be  conveniently  assigned  as  the 
beginning  of  the  third  part,  according  to  the  theory  propounded 
in  the  Introduction,  it  is  really  a  direct  continuation  of  the 
previous  discourse.  The  object  of  address  is  the  Prophet 
himself.     Crying  with  the  throat  or  from  the  lungs  is  here  op 


336  CHAPTER  LVIII. 

posed  to  a  simple  motion  of  the  lips  and  tongue.  (See  1  Sam. 
1  :  13.)  The  common  version  {cry  aloud)  is  therefore  substan- 
tially correct,  though  somewhat  vague.  The  positive  command 
is  enforced  by  the  negative  one,  spare  not^  as  in  ch.  54  :  2. 
The  comparison  with  a  trumpet  is  of  frequent  occurrence  in  the 
Book  of  Revelation.  (See  e.  g.  ch.  1  :  10.  4  :  1.)  The  loud- 
ness of  the  call  is  intended  to  suggest  the  importance  of  the 
subject,  and  perhaps  the  insensibility  of  those  to  be  convinced. 
The  Prophet  here  seems  to  turn  away  from  avowed  apostates 
to  hypocritical  professors  of  the  truth.  The  restriction  of  the 
verse  to  Isaiah's  contemporaries,  or  to  the  Jews  of  the 
Babylonish  exile,  is  as  perfectly  gratuitous  as  its  restriction  to 
the  Pharisees  of  Christ's  time,  or  to  the  Protestant  churches  at 
the  decline  of  the  Reformation.  The  points  of  similarity  with 
all  or  any  of  these  periods  arise  from  its  being  a  description  of 
what  has  often  occurred  and  will  occur  again.  It  was  impor- 
tant that  a  phrase  of  human  history  so  real  and  important 
should  form  a  part  of  this  prophetic  picture,  and  accordingly  it 
has  not  been  forgotten. 

2.  And  me  day  {by)  day  they  will  seek,  and  the  knowledge  of 
my  ways  they  will  delight  in  (or  desire),  like  a  nation  which  has 
done  right  and  the  judgment  of  its  God  has  not  forsaken  ;  they  will 
ask  of  me  righteous  judgmeiits,  the  approach  to  God  (or  of  God) 
they  will  delight  in  (or  desire).  The  older  writers  understand 
this  as  a  description  of  hypocrisy,  as  practised  in  a  formal 
seeking  (i.  e.  worshipping)  of  God  and  a  professed  desire  to 
know  his  ways  (i.  e.  the  doctrines  and  duties  of  the  true  reli- 
gion), the  external  appearance  of  a  just  and  godly  people,  who 
delight  in  nothing  more  than  in  drawing  near  to  God  (i.  e.  in 
worship  and  communion  with  him).  But  all  the  later  German 
writers  put  a  very  different  sense  upon  the  passage.  They  ap- 
ply it  not  to  hypocritical  formality,  but  to  a  discontented  and 
incredulous  impatience  of  delay  in  the   fulfilment  of  God's 


CHAPTER   L  VII  L  33Y 

promises.  According  to  this  view  of  tlie  matter,  seeding  God 
daily  means  importuDate  solicitation  ;  delight  iu  the  knowledge 
of  his  ways  is  eager  curiosity  to  know  his  providential  plans 
and  purposes  :  the  judgments  of  righteousness  which  they  de- 
mand are  either  saving  judgments  for  themselves  or  destroying 
judgments  for  their  enemies  ;  the  approach  which  they  desire 
is  not  their  own  approach  to  God  but  his  approach  to  them 
for  their  deliverance  ;  and  the  words  like  a  nation  etc.  are  de- 
scriptive not  of  a  simulated  piety,  but  of  a  self-righteous  belief 
that  by  their  outward  services  they  had  acquired  a  meritorious 
claim  to  the-  divine  interposition  in  their  favour.  It  is  some- 
what remarkable  that  a  sentence  of  such  length  should  without 
violence  admit  of  two  interpretations  so  entirely  different,  and 
the  wonder  is  enhanced  by  the  fact  that  both  the  senses  may 
be  reconciled  with  the  ensuing  context.  The  only  arguments 
which  seem  to  be  decisive  in  favour  of  the  first,  are  its  supe- 
rior simplicity  and  the  greater  readiness  with  w^ich  it  is  sug- 
gested to  most  readers  by  the  language  of  the  text  itself,  to- 
gether with  the  fact  that  it  precludes  the  necessity  of  limiting 
the  words  to  the  Babylonish  exile,  for  which  limitation  there  is 
no  ground  either  in  the  text  or  context. 

3.  Why  have  ive  fasted  and  thou  hast  not  seen  (it),  ajfiicted  our 
soul  (or  ourselves)  and  thou  tcilt  not  know  [it)  ?  Behold,  in  the  day 
of  your  fast  ye  will  find  pleasure,  and  all  your  labours  ye  will 
exact.  The  two  interpretations  which  have  been  propounded 
of  the  foregoing  verse  agree  in  making  this  a  particular  exem- 
plification of  the  people's  self-righteous  confidence  in  the  meri- 
torious efficacy  of  their  outward  services.  The  first  clause 
contains  their  complaint,  and  the  last  the  prophet's  answer. 
The  structure  of  the  first  clause  is  like  that  in  ch.  5:4.  50  :  2. 
In  our  idiom  the  idea  would  be  naturally  thus  expressed, 
Why  dost  thou  not  see  when  we  fast,  or  recognize  our  merit 
when  we  mortify  ourselves  before  thee  1     The  word  soul  here 

VOL.  11. — 16 


338  CHAPTER  LVIII. 

may  either  mean  the  appetite,  or  the  soul  as  distinguished 
from  the  body,  or  it  may  supply  the  place  of  the  reflexive  pro- 
noun se//",  which  last  is  entitled  to  the  preference,  because  the  con- 
text shows  that  their  mortifications  were  not  of  a  spiritual  but 
of  a  corporeal  nature.  The  combination  of  the  preterite  {hast 
not  seen)  and  the  future  {^wilt  not  know)  includes  all  time.  The 
clause  describes  Jehovah  as  indifi"erent  and  inattentive  to  their 
laboured  austerities.  The  reason  given  is  analogous  to  that  for 
the  rejection  of  their  sacrifices  in  ch.  1  :  11-13,  viz.  the  com- 
bination of  their  formal  service  with  unhallowed  practice. 
The  meaning  of  the  next  clause  is  that  they  made  their  pre- 
tended self-denial  a  means  or  an  occasion  of  sinful  gratifica- 
tion. The  remaining  member  of  the  sentence  has  been  vari- 
ously explained.  According  to  the  Septuagint  and  Vulgate, 
it  charges  them  with  specially  oppressing  their  dependants  at 
such  times.  Luther  supposes  a  particular  allusion  to  the 
treatment  of  debtors.  Some  prefer  the  specific  sense  of 
labourers  or  workmen  forced  to  toil  on  fast-days  as  at  other 
times.  Ye  exact  all  your  labours,  i.  e.  all  the  labour  due  to 
you  from  your  dependants. 

4.  Behold^  for  strife  and  contention  ye  ivillfast.  and  to  smite  ivith 
the  fist  of  wickedness ;  ye  shall  not  (or  yc  will  not)  fast  to-day  (so 
as)  to  make  your  voice  heard  on  high.  Some  understand  this  as 
a  further  reason  why  their  fasts  were  not  acceptable  to  God ; 
others  suppose  the  same  to  be  continued,  and  refer  what  is  here 
said  to  the  maltreatment  of  the  labourers  or  debtors  mentioned 
in  the  verse  preceding.  To  smite  with  the  fist  of  wickedness  is 
a  periphrasis  for  fighting,  no  doubt  borrowed  from  the  provision 
of  the  law  in  Ex.  21  :  18.  Some  early  writers  understand  the 
last  clause  as  a  prohibition  of  noisy  quarrels,  to  make  the  voice 
heard  on  high  being  taken  as  equivalent  to  letting  it  be  heard 
in  the  street  (ch.  42  :  2).  The  later  writers  give  it  a  meaning 
altogether  different,  by  taking  cina  in  the  sense  of  heaven  (ch. 


CHAPTER  LVIII.  339 

57  :  15),  and  the  whole  clause  as  a  declaration  that  such  fasting 
would  not  have  the  desired  effect  of  gaining  audience  and 
acceptance  for  their  prayers. 

5.  Shall  it  he  like  this,  the  fast  that  I  loill  choose,  the  day  of 
man's  humbling  himself?  Is  it  to  hang  his  head  like  a  bulrush 
and  make  sackcloth  and  ashes  his  bed?  Wilt  thou  call  this  a  fast, 
and  a  day  of  acceptance  (an  acceptable  day)  to  Jchocah?  The 
general  meaning  of  this  verse  is  clear,  although  its  structure 
and  particular  expressions  are  marked  with  a  strong  idiomatic 
peculiarity  which  makes  exact  translation  very  difficult.  The 
interrogative  form,  as  in  many  other  cases,  implies  strong  nega- 
tion mingled  with  surprise.  Nothing  is  gained  but  something 
lost  -by  dropping  the  future  forms  of  the  first  clause.  The 
second  member  of  the  first  clause  is  not  part  of  the  contemptuous 
description  of  a  mere  external  fast,  but  belongs  to  the  definition 
of  a  true  one,  as  a  time  for  men  to  practise  self-humiliation. 
He  does  not  ask  whether  the  fast  which  he  chooses  is  a  day  for 
a  man  to  afllict  himself,  implying  that  it  is  not,  which  would  be 
destructive  of  the  very  essence  of  a  fast:  but  he  asks  whether 
the  fast  which  he  has  chosen  as  a  time  for  men  to  humble  and 
afflict  themselves  is  such  as  this,  i  e.  a  mere  external  self-abase- 
ment. The  effect  of  fasting  as  an  outward  means  and  token  of 
sincere  humiliation,  may  be  learned  from  the  case  of  Ahab 
(1  Kings  21  :  27-29)  and  the  Ninevites  (Jonah  3  :  5-9).  The 
use  of  sackcloth  and  ashes  in  connection  with  fasting  is  recorded 
in  Esther  9  :  3. 

6.  Is  not  this  the  fast  that  I  will  choose^  to  loosen  hands  of 
wickedness,  to  undo  the  fastenings  of  the  yoke,  and  to  send  aivaythe 
crushed  (or  broken)  free,  and  every  yoke  ye  shall  break  ?  Most 
interpreters  suppose  a  particular  allusion  to  the  detention  of 
Hebrew  servants  after  the  seventh  year,  contrary  to  the  express 
provisions  of  the  law  (Ex.  21 :  2.  Lev.  25.  39,  41.  Deut.  15:  12). 


340  CHAPTER   LVII  I. 

It  is  evident,  however,  that  the  terms  were  so  selected  as  to  be 
descriptive  of  oppression  universally  ;  to  make  which  still  more 
evident,  the  Prophet  adds  a  general  command  or  exhortation, 
Ye  shall  break  every  yoke.  The  change  of  construction  in  the 
last  clause  from  the  infinitive  to  the  future,  is  so  common  as  to 
be  entitled  to  consideration,  not  as  a  solecism  but  a  Hebrew 
idiom.  There  is  no  need  therefore  of  adopting  the  indirect  and 
foreign  construction,  that  ye  break  every  yoke.  Some  understand 
this  passage  as  expressly  condemning  and  prohibiting  all  fasts, 
but  most  writers  still  maintain  the  old  opinion,  that  it  merely 
shows  the  spirit  which  is  necessary  to  a  true  fast. 

7.  Is  it  not  to  break  unto  the  hungry  thy  bread  ?  aiid  the  afflicted^ 
the  homeless,  thou  shalt  bring  home ;  for  thou  shalt  see  one  naked 
and  shalt  clothe  him,  and  from  thine  own  flesh  shall  not  hide  thyself. 
The  change  of  construction  to  the  future  in  the  first  clause  is 
precisely  the  same  as  in  the  preceding  verse.  The  construction 
of  the  second  clause  is  similar  to  that  in  v.  2.  It  is  best  to 
retain  the  form  of  the  original,  not  only  upon  general  grounds, 
but  because  thou  shalt  see  the  naked  seems  to  be  a  substantive 
command  corresponding  to  thou  shalt  not  hide  thyself  For  the 
use  of  flesh  to  signify  near  kindred,  see  Gen.  29  :  14.  37  :  27. 
2  Sam.  5:1.  With  the  general  precepts  of  the  verse  compare 
ch.  32  :  6.  Job  31  :  16-22.  Ez  18 :  7.  Prov.  22  :  9.  Ps.  112:  9. 
Matt.  25  :  36.  Rom.  12:13.  Heb.  13  :  2j  3.  James  2  :  15,  16; 
and  with  the  last  clause,  Matt.  15  :  5,  6. 

8.  Then  shall  break  forth  as  the  dawn  thy  light,  and  thy  heal- 
ing speedily  shall  spring  up  ;  then  shall  go  before  thee  thy  right- 
eousness, and  the  glory  of  Jehovah  shall  be  thy  rcreward  (or  bring 
up  thy  rear).  It  is  evident  that  the  writer  has  here  lost 
sight  of  the  particular  example  upon  which  he  had  been  dwell- 
ing so  minutely,  and  is  now  entirely  occupied  with  the  effects 
which  would  arise  from  a  conformity  to  God's  will,  not  in  refer- 


CHAPTER   LVIIL  341 

ence  to  fasting  merely ,but  to  every  other  part  of  duty.  Thc7i, 
i,  e.  when  this  cordial  compliance  shall  have  taken  place.  The 
verb  to  break  forth  (literally,  to  be  clef/),  elsewhere  applied 
to  the  hatchiug  of  eggs  (ch.  59  :  5)  and  the  gushing  of  water 
(ch.  35 :  G),  is  here  used  in  reference  to  the  dawn  or  break  of 
day,  a  common  figure  for  relief  succeeding  deep  affliction. 
(See  ch.  8  :  20.  9  :  2.  60  :  1.)  By  a  mixture  of  metaphors, 
which  does  not  in  the  least  obscure  the  sense,  this  healing  is 
here  said  to  sprout  or  germinate,  a  figure  employed  elsewhere 
to  denote  the  sudden,  rapid,  and  spontaneous  growth  or  rise 
of  anything:  (See  above,  on  ch.  42  :  9  and  43  :  19.)  In  the 
last  clause  a  third  distinct  figure  is  employed  to  express  the 
same  idea,  viz.  that  of  a  march  like  the  journey  through  the 
wild.erness,  with  the  pillar  of  cloud,  as  the  symbol  of  God's 
presence,  going  before  and  after.  (See  above,  on  ch.  52  :  12; 
and  compare  Ex.  13  :  21.  14  :  19.)  Jehovah  here  assumes  the 
conduct  of  his  people,  as  their  righteousness  or  justifier.  (See 
Jer.  23  :  6.  33  :  16;  and  compare  Isaiah  54  :  17.)  The  parallel 
term  glory  may  then  be  understood  as  denoting  the  manifested 
glory  of  Jehovah,  or  Jehovah  himself  in  glorious  epiphany  ; 
just  as  his  presence  with  his  people  in  the  wilderness  was 
manifested  by  the  pillar  of  cloud  and  of  fire,  which  sometimes 
went  before  them  and  at  other  times  brought  up  their  rear. 
(See  above,  on  ch.  52  :  12.) 

9.  Then  shaJt  thou  call  and  Jehovah  tvill  anstver,  thou  shall 
cry  and  he  will  say,  Behold  me  (here  I  am),  if  thou  zcilt  put 
away  from  the  midst  of  thee  the  yoke,  the  fointing  of  the  finger, 
and  the  speaking  of  vanity.  The  then  may  either  be  connected 
•with  what  goes  before  or  correspond  to  if  in  the  other  clause, 
like  then,  when,  in  English.  The  conditional  form  of  the 
promise  implies  that  it  was  not  so  with  them  now,  of  which 
indeed  they  are  themselves  represented  as  complaining  in  v.  3. 
The  idea  of  this  verse  might  be  expressed  in  the  occidental 


342  CHAPTER  LVIII. 

idiom  by  saying,  when  thou,  callest,  Jehovah  will  answer  ;  when 
ihov.  criest,  he  will  say,  Behold  me.  (See  above,  on  ch.  50  :  2.) 
The  yoke  is  again  mentioned  as  the  symbol  of  oppression. 
(See  V.  6  )  The  pointing  of  the  finger  is  a  gesture  of  derision. 
The  Arabs  have  a  verb  derived  from.  Jl/iger  and  denoting  scorn- 
ful ridicule.  The  object  of  contempt  in  this  case  may  be 
the  pious  or  the  unfortunate.  Words  of  vanity  in  Zech.  10:2 
means  falsehood,  which  is  here  retained  by  some,  while  others 
give  it  the  specific  sense  of  slander,  secret  and  malignant 
machination,  censorious  and  unnecessary  fault-finding,  strife 
and  bickerings.  All  these  may  be  included  in  the  general 
sense  of  evil  speech  or  wicked  words. 

1 0.  A7id  (if)  thou  wilt  let  out  thy  soul  to  the  hungry,  and  the 
afflicted  soul  wilt  satisfy,  then  shall  thy  light  arise  in  the  darkness., 
and  thy  gloom  as  the  {double  light  or)  noon.  The  figure  in  the 
last  clause  is  a  common  one  for  happiness  succeeding  sorrow. 
(See  Judg.  5:31.Ps.  112:4.  Job  11  :  17.) 

11.  And  Jehovah  will  guide  thee  ever,  and  satisfy  thy  soul  in 
drought,  and  thy  bones  will  he  invigorate,  and  thou  shall  be  like 
a  watered  garden,  and  like  a  spring  of  water  whose  waters  shall 
not  fail.  The  promise  of  guidance  had  already  been  given  in 
ch.  57 :  18.  (Compare  Ps.  73  :  24.  78  :  14.)  The  common  ver- 
sion of  the  next  clause  (a7id  make  fat  thy  bones)  is  sanctioned 
by  the  Septuagint,  but  the  version  strengthen  is  adopted  by  most 
modern  writers.  Similar  allusions  to  the  bones  as  the  seat  of 
strength  occur  in  Ps.  51 :  10  (8)  and  Job  21  :  24.  The  figure  in 
the  last  clause  is  the  converse  of  that  in  ch.  1  :  30.  There  is 
here  a  climax.  Not  content  with  the  image  of  a  well-watered 
garden,  he  substitutes  that  of  the  stream,  or  rather  of  the 
spring  itself.  The  general  idea  is  a  favourite  with  Isaiah. 
(See  above,  ch,  30  :  25.  33  :  21.  35  :  6,  7.  41  :  17.  43  :  20.  44 :  4. 


CHAPTER    LVIIL  343 

48  ;  21.  49  ;  10.)     The  exodus  from  Egypt  had  already  made 
these  images  familiar  and  appropriate  to  any  great  deliverance. 

12.  And  they  shall  build  from  thee  the  ruins  of  antiquity  (or 
perpetuity),  foundations  of  age  and  age  (i.  e.  of  agex)  shall  thou 
raise  up;  and  it  shall  be  called  to  thee  {ov  thou,  shall  be  caUi\) 
Repairer  of  the  breach,  Restorer  of  paths  for  dwelling.  From 
thee  denotes  something  more  than  mere  connection  or  descent, 
and,  unless  forbidden  by  something  in  the  context,  must  be 
taken  to  signify  a  going  forth  from  Israel  into  other  lands. 
Thus  understood,  the  clause  agrees  exactly  with  the  work  as- 
signed to  Israel  in  these  prophecies,  viz.  that  of  reclaiming 
the  apostate  nations,  and  building  the  wastes  of  a  desolated 
world.  As  cbis  obviously  refers  to  past  time,  this  is  the  only 
natural  interpretation  of  the  corresponding  phrase,  generation 
and  generation.  Foundations  which  have  lain  bare,  or  build- 
ings whose  foundations  have  Iain  bare  for  ages.  For  this 
metaphor,  compare  Am.  9:11;  for  that  of  a  highway,  oh. 
19  :  23.  35  :  8  ;  and  for  that  of  the  breach,  Ez.  13  :  5.  22  ;  30. 
For  dicelli?ig,  i.  e.  that  the  land  may  be  inhabited. 

13.  If  thou  wilt  turn  away  thy  foot  from  the  Sabbath  to  do  thy 
pleasure  on  my  holy  day,,  and  wilt  call  the  Sabbath  a  delight,  {and) 
the  holy  {day)  of  Jehovah  honourable,  and  wilt  honour  it  by  7iot 
doing  thy  own  ways,  by  vot  finding  thy  pleasure  and  talking 
talk.  The  version  of  which  some  give,  turn  away  thy  foot  on 
the  Sabbath,  is  inconsistent  with  the  form  of  the  original,  as 
well  as  with  the  figure,  which  is  that  of  something  trodden 
down  and  trampled,  or  at  least  encroached  upon.  The  mere 
outward  observance  was  of  no  avail,  unless  the  institution  were 
regarded  with  reverence,  as  of  God ;  nay  more,  with  compla- 
cency, as  in  itself  delightful.  To  call  it  a  delight  is  to  acknowl- 
edge it  to  be  such.  As  the  construction  of  this  Hebrew  verb 
is  foreign  from  our  idiom,  it  may  be  best  explained  by  a  para- 


344  CHAPTER  LVIII. 

phrase.  '  If  thou  wilt  give  to  the  Sabbath  the  name  of  a  de- 
light, and  to  the  holy  day  or  ordinance  of  Jehovah  that  of 
honourable,'  But  mere  acknowledgment  is  not  enough  ;  it 
must  not  only  be  admitted  to  deserve  honour,  but  in  fact  re- 
ceive it.  Hence  he  adds,  and  if  thou  wilt  honour  it  thyself, 
by  not  doings  literally,  away  from  doing,  so  as  not  to  do.  (See 
eh.  5  :  6.  49  :  15.)  Doing  thy  own  ways,  although  not  a  usual 
combination,  is  rendered  intelligible  by  the  constant  use  of 
way  in  Hebrew  to  denote  a  course  of  conduct.  Speaking 
speech  or  talking  talk  is  by  some  regarded  as  equivalent  to 
speaking  vanity,  in  v.  9.  The  modern  writers,  for  the  most 
part,  are  in  favour  of  the  explanation,  speaking  mere  words, 
idle  talk.  (Compare  Matt.  12  :  36.)  As  to  the  importance 
here  attached  to  the  Sabbath,  see  above,  on  eh.  56 :  2. 

14.  Then  shalt  thou  be  happy  in  Jehovah^  and  I  will  make 
thee  ride  upoii  the  heights  of  the  earthy  and  I  will  make  thee  eat 
the  heritage  of  Jacob  thy  father^  for  Jehovah''s  mouth  hath  spoken 
it.  The  first  verb  is  combined  with  the  divine  name  elsewhere 
to  express  both  a  duty  and  a  privilege.  (Compare  Psalm 
37  :  4  with  Job  22  :  26.  27  :  10.)  The  next  phrase  is  descrip- 
tive of  conquest  and  triumphant  possession,  as  in  Deut.  32  :  13, 
from  which  the  expression  is  derived  by  all  the  later  writers 
who  employ  it.  To  eat  the  heritage  is  to  enjoy  it  and  derive 
subsistence  from  it.  It  is  called  the  heritage  of  Jacob,  as  dis- 
tinct from  that  of  Ishmael  and  Esau,  although  equally  de- 
scended from  the  Father  of  the  Faithful.  The  last  clause  is 
added  to  ensure  the  certainty  of  the  event  as  resting  not  on 
human  but  divine  authority.    See  above,  on  ch.  1  ;  2. 


CHAPTER  L  IX.  345 


CHAPTER    LIX. 

The  fault  of  Israel's  rejection  is  not  in  the  Lord  but  in 
themselves,  vs.  1,  2.  They  "are  charged  with  sins  of  violence 
and  injustice,  vs.  3,  4.  The  ruinous  effects  of  these  corruptions 
are  described,  vs.  5,  6.  Their  violence  and  injustice  are  as  fatal 
to  themselves  as  to  others,  vs.  7,  8.  The  moral  condition  of 
the  people  is  described  as  one  of  darkness  and  hopeless  degra- 
dation, vs.  9-15.  In  this  extremity  Jehovah  interposes  to  de- 
liver the  true  Israel,  vs.  16,  17?  This  can  only  be  effected  by 
the  destruction  of  the  carnal  Israel,  v.  18.  The  divine  pres- 
ence shall  no  longer  be  subjected  to  local  restrictions,  v.  19. 
A  Redeemer  shall  appear  in  Zion  to  save  the  true  Israel,  v.  20. 
The  old  temporary  dispensation  shall  give  place  to  the  dispen- 
sation of  the  Word  and  Spirit,  which  shall  last  forever,  v.  21. 

1.  Behold,  not  shorte)ied  is  Jehovah's  hand  from  saving,  and 
not  benumbed  is  his  ear  from  hearing,  i.  e.  so  as  not  to  save,  and 
not  to  hear,  or  too  short  to  save,  too  dull  to  hear.  On  this  use 
of  the  preposition,  see  above  on  ch.  58  :  13,  and  the  references 
there  made.  The  Prophet  merely  pauses,  as  it  were,  for  a  mo- 
ment, to  exonerate  his  master  from  all  blame,  before  continuing 
his  accusation  of  the  people.  The  beginning  of  a  chapter  here 
is  simply  a  matter  of  convenience,  as  the  following  contest  has 
precisely  the  same  character  with  that  before  it.  The  only  ex- 
planation of  the  passage  which  allows  it  to  speak  for  itself,  with- 
out gratuitous  additions  or  embellishments,  is  that  which  likens 
it  to  ch.  42  :  18-25,  43  :  22-28,  and  50  :  1,  2,  as  a  solemn  exhi- 
bition of  the  truth  that  the  rejection  of  God's  ancient  people 
was  the  fruit  of  their  own  sin,  and  not  to  be  imputed  either  to 
unfaithfulness  on  his  part,  or  to  want  of  strength  or  wisdom  to 

15* 


346  CHAPTER   L IX. 

protect  them,     For  the  true  sense  of  the  metaphor  here  used, 
see  above,  on  oh.  50  :  2. 

2.  But  your  iniquities  have  been  separating  between  you  and 
your  God,  and  your  sins  have  hid  {his)  face  from  you,  so  as  not  to 
hear.  The  general  idea  of  this  verse  is  otherwise  expressed  iu 
Jer.  5  :  25,  while  in  Lam.  3  :  44  the  same  prophet  reproduces 
both  the  thought  and  the  expression,  with  a  distinct  mention 
of  the  intervening  object  as  a  cloud,  which  may  possibly  have 
been  suggested  by  the  language  of  Isaiah  himself  in  ch.  44  :  22. 
The  force  of  the  particle  before  the  last  verb  is  the  same  as  in 
ch.  44  :  18  and  49  :  15.  It  does  not  mean  specifically  that  he 
will  not,  much  less  that  he  cannot  hear,  but  that  he  doth  not  hear. 
It  is  still  better,  however,  to  retain  the  infinitive  form  of  the 
original  by  rendering  it,  {so  as)  not  to  hear. 

3.  For  your  hands  are  defiled  loith  blood,  and  your  fingers  with 
iniquity  ;  your  lips  have  spoken  falsehood,  your  tongue  will  utter 
wickedness.  The  Prophet  now,  according  to  a  common  usage 
of  the  Scriptures,  classifies  the  prevalent  iniquities  as  sins  of 
the  hands,  the  mouth,  the  feet,  as  if  to  intimate  that  every 
member  of  the  social  body  was  affected.  On  the  staining  of 
the  hands  with  blood,  see  above,  ch.  1:15.  The  preterite  and 
future  forms  describe  the  evil  as  habitual,  and  ought  to  be 
retained  in  the  translation,  were  it  only  for  the  purpose  of  ex- 
hibiting the  characteristic  form  of  the  original.  The  wide 
meaning  of  the  whole  description  is  evident  from  Paul's  com- 
bining parts  of  it  with  phrases  drawn  from  several  Psalms  re- 
markably resembling  it,  in  proof  of  the  depravity  of  human  na- 
ture. (Rom.  3:  15-17.) 

4.  There  is  none  calling  with  (or  for)  justice,  and  there  is  none 
contending  with  truth  ;  they  trust  in  vanity  ayid  speak  falsehood, 
conceive  mischief  and  bring  forth  iniquity.     Some  understand  the 


CHAPTER    LIX.  347 

first  clause  as  meaning  that  none  demand  justice  because  they 
have  no  hope  of  obtaining  it.  Others  make  calling  parallel 
to  contending,  and  ivith  justice  to  with  truth.  '  No  one  pleads 
fairly  or  sues  honestly.' 

5.  Eggs  of  the  basilisk  they  have  hatched,  and  webs  of  the  spider 
they  will  spin  (or  weave)  ;  the  [one)  eating  of  their  eggs  shall  die, 
and  the  crushed  (egg)  shall  hatch  out  a  viper.  The  figure  of  the 
serpent  is  substantially  the  same  as  in  ch.  14  :  29.  (Compare 
Deut.  32  :  33  )  The  precise  varieties  intended  are  of  little  ex- 
egetical  importance.  The  figure  of  the  spider's  vfeb  is  added 
to  express  the  idea  both  of  hurtfulness  and  futility.  (See  Job 
8:14.) 

6.  Tlieir  icebs  shall  not  become  (or  be  for)  clothing,  aiid  they  shall 
not  cover  themselves  tvith  their  works  ;  their  works  are  works  of 
mischirf  (or  iniquity),  and  the  doing  of  violence  is  in  their  hands. 
The  first  clause  does  not  seem  to  form  a  part  of  what  the  writer 
meant  at  first  to  say.  but  is  a  kind  of  after-thought,  by  which  he 
gives  a  new  turn  to  the  sentence,  and  expresses  an  additional 
idea  without  a  change  of  metaphor.  Having  introduced  the 
spider's  web,  in  connection  with  the  serpent's  egg,  as  an  em- 
blem of  malignant  and  treacherous  designs,  he  here  repeats  the 
first  but  for  another  purpose,  namely,  to  suggest  the  idea  of  fu- 
tility and  worthlessness.  This  application  may  have  been  sug- 
gested by  the  frequent  reference  to  webs  and  weaving  as  con- 
ducive to  the  comfort  and  emolument  of  men  ;  but  spiders'  webs 
can  answer  no  such  purpose.  The  idea  that  it  is  not  fit  or  can- 
not be  applied  to  this  end,  although  not  exclusively  expressed, 
is  really  included  in  the  general  declaration  that  they  shall  not 
be  so  used.  Works  in  the  first  clause  simply  means  lohat  they 
have  made ;  but  in  the  second,  where  the  metaphor  is  dropped, 
this  version  would  be  inadmissible. 


348  CHAPTER    LIX. 

7.  Their  feet  to  evil  will  rim^  and  they  will  hasten  to  shed  inno- 
cent blood ;  their  thoughts  are  thoughts  of  mischief  (or  iniquity) ; 
wasting  and  ruin  are  in  their  paths.  The  first  clause  expresses 
not  a  mere  disposition,  but  an  eager  proclivity  to  wrong.  The 
■word  translated  thoughts  has  here  and  elsewhere  the  specific 
sense  of  purposes,  contrivances,  devices.  Their  paths  are  the 
paths  in  which  their  feet  run  to  evil  and  make  haste  to  shed  in- 
nocent blood.  The  two  nouns  combined  in  the  last  clause 
strictly  denote  desolation  and  crushing,  i.  e.  utter  ruin.  With 
this  verse  compare  Prov.  1:16,  and  the  evil  way  of  ch.  55  :  7 
above. 

8.  The  way  of  peace  they  have  not  known.^  and  there  is  no  justice 
in  their  paths ;  their  courses  they  have  rendered  crooked  for  them  ; 
every  one  walking  in  them  hiows  not  peace.  The  obvious  and 
simple  meaning  is,  that  their  lives  are  not  pacific  but  conten- 
tious. The  erroneous  principle  involved  in  all  specific  inter- 
pretations is  refuted  by  the  comprehensive  sense  which  the 
apostle  puts  upon  the  words  in  the  passage  which  has  been 
already  cited  (Rom.  3  :  15-17). 

9.  Therefore  is  judgment  far  from  us.,  a7id  righteousness  will  not 
overtake  us  ;  we  loaitfor  light  and  behold  darkness;  for  splendours., 
[and)  in  obscurities  we  walk.  The  future  form  of  all  the  verbs 
in  this  verse  intimates  that  they  expect  this  state  of  things  to 
continue, 

10.  We  grope  like  the  blind  for  the  wall.,  like  the  eyeless  we 
grope ;  we.  stumble  at  noonday  as  in  ticilight,  in  thick  darkness 
like  the  dead.  These  figures  are  expressive  not  only  of  physical 
but  of  moral  evil.     Compare  Deut.  28  :  29  and  Zeph.  1  :  17. 

11.  We  growl  like  the  bears,  all  of  us,  and  like  the  doves  we 
moan  {we)  moan ;  we  wait  for  justice  and  there  is  none,  for  salvo- 


CHAPTER    LIX.  349 

tion  {and)  it  is  far  from  us.  The  Latin  poets  also  speak  of  the 
voice  of  bears  and  doves  as  a  gemitus  or  groaning.  (See  above, 
ch.  38  :  14,  and  Ezek.  7  :  16.)  The  same  efifect  which  is  pro- 
duced in  the  first  clause  by  the  use  of  the  phrase  all  of  vs,  is 
produced  in  the  other  by  the  idiomatic  repetition  of  the  verb. 
Here,  as  in  v.  9,  we  may  understand  by  judgment  or  justice 
that  which  God  does  by  his  providential  dispensations  both  to 
his  people  and  his  enemies. 

12.  For  our  transgressions  are  multiplied  before  thee,  and  our 
sins  testify  against  us  ;  for  our  transgressions  are  with  us,  and  our 
iniquities — we  knoxo  them.  The  Prophet  here  begins  a  general 
confession  in  the  name  of  God's  people.  For  the  form  of 
expiression,  compare  Ps.  51  :  5  (3). 

13.  To  transgress  and  lie  against  Jehovah,  and  to  turn  back 
from  behind  our  God,  to  speak  oppression  and  departure,  to  conceive 
and  utter  from  the  heart  words  of  falsehood.  The  specifications  of 
the  general  charge  are  now  expressed  by  an  unusual  succession 
of  infinitives,  because  the  writer  wished  to  concentrate  and  con- 
dense his  accusation.  This  rhetorical  efiect  is  materially  injured 
by  the  substitution  of  the  finite  verb.  Although  by  no  means 
equal  in  conciseness  to  the  Hebrew,  our  infinitive  may  be  em- 
ployed as  the  most  exact  translation.  Departure  means  depart- 
ure from  the  right  course  or  the  law,  i.  e.  transgression  or 
iniquity. 

14.  And  pidgment  is  thrust  (or  driven)  back,  and  righteousness 
afar  off  stands ;  for  truth  has  fallen  in  the  street,  and  uprightness 
cannot  enter.  The  description  is  now  continued  in  the  ordinary 
form  by  the  finite  verb.  The  word  translated  street  properly 
means  an  open  place  or  square,  especially  the  space  about  the 
gate  of  an  oriental  town,  where  courts  were  held  and  other  public 
business  was  transacted.     (See  Job  29:7.  Neh.  8:1.)     The 


850  CHAPTER    LIX. 

present  form  which  seems  to  be  required  by  our  idiom  is  much 
less  expressive  than  the  preterite  and  futures  of  the  original. 
Those  interpreters  who  commonly  apply  whatever  is  said  of 
tyranny  to  the  oppression  of  the  Jews  in  exile  are  compelled  in 
this  case,  where  the  sin  is  charged  upon  the  Jews  themselves, 
to  resort  to  the  imaginary  fact  of  gross  misgovernment  among 
the  exiles,  for  the  purpose  of  avoiding  the  conclusion  that  the 
passage  has  respect  to  a  condition  of  society  like  that  described 
in  the  first  chapter. 

15.  Then  tnith  was  missed  (i.  e.  found  wanting),  and  whoso 
departed  from  evil  made  himself  a  prey  (or  was  plundered).  Then 
Jehovah  saio  and  it  was  evil  in  his  eyes  that  there  was  no  judgment 
(or  practical  justice).  The  passive  participle  is  here  used  with 
the  substantive  verb,  as  the  active  is  in  v.  2,  to  denote  anterior 
habitual  action 

16.  And  he  saw  that  there  was  no  man,  and  he  stood  aghast  that 
there  ivas  7io  one  interposing  ;  and  his  own  arm  savdfor  hirn,  and 
his  otvn  righteousness,  it  upheld  him.  The  repetition  of  the  words 
and  he  sarv  connects  this  verse  in  the  closest  manner  with  the 
one  before  it.  What  was  wanting  was  not  merely  a  qualified 
man,  but  any  man  whatever,  to  maintain  the  cause  of  Israel  and 
Jehovah.  A  like  absolute  expression  is  employed  in  2  Kings 
14  :  26,  where  it  is  said  that  Jehovah  saw  the  affliction  of  Israel, 
that  it  was  very  bitter,  and  that  there  was  no  helper  for  Israel, 
not  merely  no  sufficient  one,  but  none  at  all.  The  desperate 
nature  of  the  case  is  then  described  in  terms  still  stronger  and 
only  applicable  to  Jehovah  by  the  boldest  figure.  The  common 
version  [wondered),  though  substantially  correct,  is  too  weak  to 
express  the  full  force  of  the  Hebrew  word,  which  strictly  means 
to  be  desolate,  and  is  used  in  reference  to  persons  for  the  pur- 
pose of  expressing  an  extreme  degree  of  horror  and  astonish- 
ment.    (See  Ps.  143  :  4j  and  compare  the  colloquial  use  of 


CHAPTER    L IX.  351 

desole  in  French.)  As  applied  to  God,  the  term  may  be  con- 
sidered simply  anthropopathic,  or  as  intended  to  imply  a  certain 
sympathetic  union  with  humanity,  arising  from  the  mode  in 
which  this  great  intervention  was  to  be  accomplished.  ?'^53^ 
strictly  denotes  causing  to  meet  or  come  together,  bringing  into 
contact.  Hence  it  is  applied  to  intercessory  prayer,  and  this 
sense  is  expressed  here  by  the  Chaldee  paraphrase.  But  the 
context,  etymology,  and  usage,  all  combine  to  recommend  the 
wider  sense  of  intervention,  interposition,  both  in  word  and 
deed.  (See  above,  on  ch.  53  :  12.)  The  full  force  of  the  last 
clause  can  be  given  in  English  only  by  the  use  of  the  emphatic 
form  his  oio?i,  which  is  implied  but  cannot  be  distinctly  expressed 
in  the  original  except  by  a  periphrasis.  To  do  anything  with 
one's  own  hand  or  arm,  is  an  expression  frequently  used  else- 
where to  denote  entire  independence  of  all  foreign  aid.  (See 
Judges  7  :  2.  1  Sam.  25  :  26  Ps.  44  :  3.  98  :  1.)  The  simple 
and  exact  translation  of  the  whole  clause  is,'^his  arm  saved 
for  him^  leaving  the  object  to  be  gathered  from  the  context, 
namely,  Israel  or  his  people.  This  same  idea  is  expressed 
in  the  last  words  of  the  verse,  where  his  righteousjiess  siistained 
him  means  that  he  relied  or  depended  upon  it  exclusively.  By 
righteousness  in  this  case  we  are  not  to  understand  a  simple 
consciousness  of  doing  right,  nor  the  possession  of  a  righteous 
cause,  nor  a  right  to  do  what  he  did,  all  which  are  modifications 
of  the  same  essential  meaning,  nor  a  zealous  love  of  justice.  It 
is  far  more  satisfactory  to  give  the  word  its  strict  and  proper 
sense  as  denoting  an  attribute  of  God,  here  joined  with  his 
power,  to  show  that  what  are  commonly  distinguished  as  his 
moral  and  his  natural  perfections  are  alike  pledged  to  this  great 
work,  and  constitute  his  only  reliance  for  its  execution.  The 
extraordinary  character  of  this  description,  and  the  very  vio- 
lence which  it  seems  to  offer  to  our  ordinary  notions  of  the 
divine  nature,  unavoidably  prepare  the  mind  for   something 


352  CHAPTER    LIX. 

higher  than  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  from  exile,  or  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Romans. 

17.  And  he  clothed  himself  with  righteousiiess  as  a  coat  of  mail, 
and  a  helmet  of  salvation  on  his  head,  and  he  clothed  himself  ivith 
garments  of  vengeance  (for)  clothing,  and  put  on,  as  the  cloak  (or 
tunic)  jealous]/.  The  writer  here  carries  out  in  detail  his  gene- 
ral declaration  that  Jehovah  undertook  the  cause  of  Israel 
himself,  under  figures  borrowed  from  the  usages  of  war.  The 
older  writers  have  in  vain  perplexed  themselves  with  efforts  to 
determine  why  righteousness  is  called  a  breastplate,  or  salva- 
tion a  helmet,  and  to  reconcile  the  variations  in  Paul's  copies 
of  this  picture  (Eph.  6  :  14-17.  1  Thess.  5  :  8)  with  the  origi- 
nal. That  the  figures  in  this  case  were  intended  to  convey 
the  general  idea  of  martial  equipment,  may  be  gathered  from 
the  fact  that  there  is  no  reference  whatever  to  offensive  weap- 
ons. The  particular  expressions  of  the  verse  need  little  ex- 
planation. The  first  piece  of  armour  specified  is  not  the 
breastplate,  as  the  older  writers  generally  render.it,  perhaps  in 
reference  to  Eph.  6  :  14,  but  the  habergeon  or  coat  of  mail. 
The  first  and  third  terms  denote  parts  of  armour  properly  so 
called,  the  second  and  fourth  the  dress  as  distinguished  from 
the  armour.  The  last  is  either  the  tunic  or  the  military  cloak, 
often  mentioned  in  the  classics  as  being  of  a  purple  colour. 
The  same  noun  is  construed  with  the  same  verb  in  1  Sam.  28  : 
14.  The  meaning  of  the  whole  verse  is,  that  God  equipped 
himself  for  battle,  and  arrayed  his  power,  justice,  and  dis- 
tinguishing attachment  to  his  people,  against  their  persecutors 
and  oppressors. 

18.  According  to  (theirj  deeds,  accordingly  will  he  repay,  wrath 
to  his  enemies,  (their)  desert  to  his  foes,  to  the  isles  (their)  desert  will 
he  repay.  The  essential  meaning  of  this  verse  is  evident  and 
undisputed  ;  but  the  form  of  expression  in  the  first  clause  is 


^  CHAPTER    LIX.  353 

singular,  if  not  anomalous.  The  difficulty,  however,  is  not  exe- 
getical,  but  pui-ely  grammatical,  arising  from  the  unexampled  use 
of  the  preposition  bs  without  an  object :  According  to  their  deeds — 
according  to — will  he  repay.  The  latest  writers  seem  to  have 
come  back  to  the  simple  and  obvious  supposition  of  the  oldest 
that  it  is  a  case  of  anomalous  ellipsis,  the  object  of  the 
preposition  being  not  expressed,  but  mentally  repeated  from 
the  foregoing  clause  :  According  to  their  deeds,  according  to  {them), 
he  will  repay.  (Compare  the  Hebrew  of  Ps.  45.)  In  the 
mere  repetition  there  is  nothing  singular,  but  rather  some- 
thing charatjteristic  of  the  Prophet.  (See  above,  ch.  52  :  6.) 
The  English  Version  happily  approaches  to  a  perfect  repro- 
duction of  the  Hebrew  expression  by  employing  the  cognate 
terms  according  and  accordingly,  which  has  the  advantage 
of  retaining  essentially  the  same  term,  and  yet  varying  it  so 
as  tp  avoid  a  grammatical  anomaly  by  which  it  might  have 
been  rendered  unintelligible.  The  only  satisfactory  solution 
of  the  last  clause  is  the  one  afforded  by  the  hypothesis  that 
the  salvation  here  intended  is  salvation  in  the  highest  sense 
from  sin  and  all  its  consequences,  and  that  by  Isi-ael  and  the 
Isles  (or  Gentiles)  we  are  to  understand  the  church  or  people 
of  God,  and  the  world  considered  as  its  enemies  and  his. 

19.  And  they  shall  fear  from  the  west  the  name  of  Jehovah,  and 
from  the  rising  of  the  sun  his  glory  ;  for  it  shall  come  like  a  strait- 
ened stream,  the  spirit  of  Jehovah  raising  a  banner  in  it.  The 
name  and  glory  of  Jehovah  are  here  not  only  parallels  but 
synonymes,  as  we  learn  from  other  places  where  the  two  terms 
are  jointly  or  severally  used  to  signify  the  manifested  excel- 
lence or  glorious  presence  of  Jehovah.  (See  above,  ch.  30  : 
27.  35  :  2.  40  :  5.  42  :  12.)  There  is  something  pleasing,  if 
no  more,  in  the  suggestion  that  the  usual  order  of  the  east  and 
west  (ch.  43  :  5.  Mai.  1  :  11)  is  here  reversed,  as  if  to  intimate 
that  the  diffusion  of  the  truth  shall  one  day  take  a  new  direc- 


354  CHAPTER    LIX. 

tion,  an  idea  which  has  been  applied  specifically  to  the  Chris- 
tian missions  of  Great  Britain  and  America,  not  only  to  new 
countries  but  to  Asia,  the  cradle  of  the  gospel,  of  the  law,  and 
of  the  human  race.  The  last  clause  of  this  verse  has  been  a 
famous  subject  of  dispute  among  interpreters,  who  differ  more 
or  less  in  reference  to  every  word,  as  well  as  to  the  general 
meaning  of  the  whole.  From  the  combination  of  these  vari- 
ous senses  have  resulted  several  distinct  interpretations  of  the 
whole  clause,  two  of  which  deserve  to  be  particularly  men- 
tioned, as  the  two  between  which  most  writers  have  been  and 
are  still  divided.  The  first  of  these  is  the  interpretation 
found,  as  to  its  essence,  in  several  of  the  ancient  versions,  and 
especially  the  Vulgate,  cam  venerit  quasi  Jluvius  violentus  quem 
Spiritus  Domini  cogit.  This  is  substantially  retained  by 
Luther  and  by  Lowth,  when  he  shall  come  like  a  river  slraitimed 
in  his  course^  ichich  a  strong  ivincl  drivelh  along.  It  is  also 
given  by  most  of  the  recent  German  writers,  with  trivial  varia- 
tions. The  other  principal  interpretation  explains  the  whole 
to  mean  that  when  the  enemy  shall  come  in  like  a  floocl.^  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  shall  lift  uj)  a  standard  aga.inst  him.  This  is  the 
version  of  the  English  and  Dutch  Bibles,  and  of  many  emi- 
nent interpreters.  Between  these  two  main  interpretations 
there  are  others  too  numerous  to  be  recited,  which  agree  essen- 
tially with  one,  but  in  some  minor  points  coincide  with  the 
other,  or  dissent  from  both.  The  common  version  of  this 
vexed  clause  is  entirely  defensible,  and  clearly  preferable  to 
the  one  which  has  so  nearly  superseded  it.  Considering,  how- 
ever, the  objections  to  which  both  are  open,  it  may  be  possible 
to  come  still  nearer  to  the  true  sense  by  combining  what  is 
least  objectionable  in  the  other  expositions.  On  the  whole, 
the  meaning  of  the  verse  appears  to  be,  that  the  ends  of  the 
earth  shall  see  and  fear  the  name  and  glory  of  Jehovah,  be- 
cause when  he  approaches  as  their  enemy,  it  will  be  like  an 


CHAPTER    LIX.  355 

overflowing  stream  (ch.  8  :  7,  8.  28  :  15),  in  which  his  Spirit 
bears  aloft  the  banner  or  the  signal  of  victory. 

20.  Then  shall  come  for  Zion  a  Redeemer,  and  for  the  converts 
of  apostasy  in  Jacob,  saith  Jehovah.  The  expression  converts  of 
transgression  or  apostasy  is  perfectly  intelligible,  though  unu- 
sual and  pei'haps  without  example  ;  since  according  to  analogy 
the  phrase  would  seem  to  mean  those  relapsing  into  apostasy, 
the  impossibility  of  which  conspires  with  the  context  to  determ- 
ine as  the  true  sense  that  which  every  reader  spontaneously 
attaches  to~  it. 

2 1.  And  /(or  as  for  me),  this  {is)  my  covenant  loith  them,  saith 
Jehovah.  My  Spirit  which  is  on  thee,  and  my  icords  which  I  have 
placed  in  thy  mouth,  shall  not  depart  out  of  thy  mouth,  nor  out  of 
the  mouth  of  thy  seed,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy  seecVs  seed,  saith 
Jehovah,  from  henceforth  and  forever  {ov  from  noio  ftnd  to  eternity). 
The  absolute  pronoun  at  the  beginning  is  not  merely  emphatic, 
but  intended  to  intimate  a  change  of  person,  God  himself 
re-appearing  as  the  speaker.  There  may  also  be  allusion  to  the 
similar  use  of  the  pronoun  in  the  promise  to  Noah  (Gen.  9:9), 
which  was  ever  present  to  the  mind  of  Jewish  readers  as  the 
great  standing  type  and  model  of  God's  covenants  and  promises. 
The  only  natural  antecedent  of  the  pronoun  them  is  the  converts 
of  apostasy  in  Jacob,  to  whom  the  promise  in  v.  20  is  limited. 
These  are  then  suddenly  addressed,  or  rather  the  discourse  is 
turned  to  Israel  himself,  as  the  progenitor  or  as  the  ideal  repre- 
sentative of  his  descendants,  not  considered  merely  as  a  nation 
but  as  a  church,  and  therefore  including  proselytes  as  well  as 
natives,  Gentiles  as  well  as  Jews,  nay  believing  Gentiles  to  the 
exclusion  of  the  unbelieving  Jews.  This  is  not  a  mere  inci- 
dental application  of  Old  Testament  expressions  to  another  sub- 
ject, but  a  protracted  and  repeated  exposition  of  the  mutual  rela- 
tions of  the  old  and  new  economy  and  of  the  natural  and  spirit- 


356  CHAPTER    LX. 

ual  Israel.  To  this  great  body,  considered  as  the  Israel  of 
God.  the  promise  uow  before  us  is  addressed,  a  promise  of  con- 
tiuued  spiritual  influence  exerted  through  the  word  and  giving 
it  effect.  The  phrase  vpon  thee  here  as  elsewhere  implies  in- 
fluence from  above  and  has  respect  to  the  figure  of  the  Spirit's 
descending  and  abiding  on  the  object.  The  particular  mention 
of  the  mouth  cannot  be  explained  as  having  reference  merely  to 
the  reception  of  the  word,  in  which  case  the  ear  would  have 
been  more  appropriate.  The  true  explanation  seems  to  be  that 
Israel  is  here,  as  in  many  other  parts  of  this  great  prophecy,  re- 
garded not  merely  as  a  receiver  but  as  a  dispenser  of  the  truth, 
an  office  with  which  as  we  have  seen  the  Body  is  invested  in 
connection  with  the  Head,  and  in  perpetual  subordination  to 
him.  Israel,  as  well  as  the  Messiah,  and  in  due  dependence  on 
him,  was  to  be  the  light  of  the  Gentiles,  the  reclaimer  of  apos- 
tate nations,  and  in  this  high  mission  and  vocation  was  to  be 
sustained  and  prospered  by  the  never-failing  presence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  as  the  author  and  the  finisher  of  all  revelation, 
(See  above,  ch.  42  :  1-7.  44  :  1-3.  49  :  1-9.  5 1  :  16.  54  :  3.  56  :  6-8. 
58:  12,  and  compare  Jer.  31  :  31.  Joel  2  :  28.  Ezek.  36:  27. 
39  :  29.) 


CHAPTER    LX. 


Having  repeatedly  and  fully  shown  that  the  national  pre- 
eminence of  Israel  was  not  to  be  perpetual,  that  the  loss  of  it 
was  the  natural  consequence  and  righteous  retribution  of  in- 
iquity, and  that  this  loss  did  not  involve  the  destruction  of  the 
true  church  or  spiritual  Israel,  the  Prophet  now  proceeds  to 
show  that  to  the  latter  the  approaching  change  would  be  a  glo- 
rious and  blessed  one.     He  accordingly  describes  it  as  a  new 


CHAPTER   LX.  357 

and  divine  liglit  rising  upon  Zion,  v.  1.  He  contrasts  it  with 
the  darkness  of  surrounding  nations,  v.  2.  Yet  these  are  not 
excluded  from  participation  in  the  light,  v.  3.  The  elect  in 
every  nation  are  the  children  of  the  church,  and  shall  be  gath- 
ered to  her,  vs.  4,  5.  On  one  side,  he  sees  the  oriental  caravans 
and  flocks  approaching,  vs.  6,  7.  On  the  other,  the  commercial 
fleets  of  western  nations,  vs.  8,  9.  What  seemed  to  be  rejec- 
tion is  in  fact  the  highest  favour,  v.  10.  The  glory  of  the  true 
church  is  her  freedom  from  local  and  national  restrictions,  v.  II. 
None  are  excluded  from  her  pale  but  those  who  exclude  them- 
selves and  thereby  perish,  v.  12.  External  nature  shall  con- 
tribute to  her  splendour,  v.  13.  Her  very  enemies  shall  do 
her  homage,  v.  14.  Instead  of  being  cast  off,  she  is  glorified 
forever,  v.  15.  Instead  of  being  identified  with  one  nation,  she 
shall  derive  support  from  all,  v.  16.  All  that  is  changed  in 
her  condition  shall  be  changed  for  the  better,  v.  17.  The  evils 
of  her  former  state  are  done  away,  v.  18.  Even^some  of  its  ad- 
vantages are  now  superfluous,  v.  19.  What  remains  shall  no 
longer  be  precarious,  v.  20.  The  splendour  of  this  new  dis- 
pensation is  a  moral  and  a  spiritual  splen^mir,  but  attended 
by  external  safety  and  protection,  vs.  21,  22.  All  this  shall 
certainly  and  promptl}'  come  to  pass  at  the  appointed  time, 
v.  22. 

Here  as  elsewhere  the  new  dispensation  is  contrasted  as  a 
whole  with  that  before  it.  We  are  not  therefore  to  seek  the 
fulfilment  of  the  prophecy  in  any  one  period  of  history  exclu- 
sively, nor  to  consider  actual  corruptions  and  afflictions  as  in- 
consistent with  the  splendid  vision  of  the  New  Jerusalem  pre- 
sented to  the  Prophet,  not  in  its  successive  stages,  but  in  one 
grand  panoramic  view. 

1.  Arise,  be  light  ;  for  thy  light  is  come,  and  the  glory  of  Jeho- 
vah has  risen  upon  tlwe.  These  are  the  words  of  Isaiah,  speak- 
ing in  the  name  of  God  to  Zion  or  Jerusalem,  not  merely  as  a 


358  CHAPTER   LX. 

city,  nor  even  as  a  capital,  but  as  the  centre,  representative,  and 
symbol  of  the  church  or  chosen  people.  A  precisely  analogous 
example  is  afforded  by  the  use  of  the  name  Rome  in  modern 
religious  controversy,  not  to  denote  the  city  or  the  civil  govern- 
ment as  such,  but  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  with  all  its 
parts,  dependencies,  and  interests.  The  one  usage  is  as  natu- 
ral and  intelligible  as  the  other  ;  and  if  no  one  hesitates  to  say 
that  Newman  has  apostatized  to  Rome,  or  that  his  influence  has 
added  greatly  to  the  strength  of  Rome  in  England,  no  one  can 
justly  treat  it  as  a  wresting  of  the  Prophet's  language  to  ex- 
plain it  in  precisely  the  same  manner.  The  object  of  address 
is  here  so  plain  that  several  of  the  ancient  versions  actually  in- 
troduce the  name  Jerusalem.  The  common  version  shine  is 
defective  only  in  not  showing  the  affinity  between  the  verb  and 
noun  which  is  so  marked  in  the  original.  The  English  risen  is 
also  less  expressive,  because  more  ambiguous  and  vague,  than 
the  Hebrew  verb,  which  means  not  to  rise  in  general,  but  to 
rise  above  the  horizon,  to  appear.  The  glory  of  Jehovah  is  his 
manifested  presence,  with  allusion  to  the  cloudy  pillar  and  the 
Shechinah.  Upon  thee  represents  Jerusalem  as  exposed  and 
subjected  to  the  full  blaze  of  this  rising  light.  Light,  and  es- 
pecially the  light  imparted  by  the  divine  presence,  is  a  common 
figure  for  prosperity,  both  temporal  and  spiritual.  This  is  a 
direct  continuation  of  the  foregoing  context,  and  what  follows  is 
distinguished  from  what  goes  before  only  by  the  increasing 
prominence  with  which  the  normal  and  ideal  perfection  of  the 
church  is  set  forth,  as  the  prophecy  draws  near  to  a  conclu- 
sion. 

2.  For  behold^  the  darkness  shall  cover  the  earthy  and  a  gloom 
the  nations^  and  upon  thee  shall  Jehovah  rise,  and  his  glory  upon 
thee  shall  be  seen.  The  general  description  in  the  first  verse  is 
now  amplified  and  carried  out  into  detail.  Of  this  specifica- 
tion the  verse  before  us  contains  only  the  beginning.     To 


CHAPTER  LX.  359 

regard  it  as  the  whole  would  be  to  make  the  Prophet  say  the 
very  opposite  of  what  he  does  say.  The  perfection  of  the 
glory  promised  to  the  church  is  not  to  arise  from  its  contrast 
with  the  darkness  of  the  world  around  it,  but  from  the  diffu- 
sion of  its  light  until  that  darkness  disappears.  The  Prophet 
here  reverts  for  a  moment  to  the  previous  condition  of  the 
world,  in  order  to  describe  with  more  effect  the  glorious  change 
to  be  produced.  He  is  not  therefore  to  be  understood  as  say- 
ing that  Zion  shall  be  glorious  because  while  the  nations  are  in 
darkness  she  is  to  enjoy  exclusive  light,  but  because  the  light 
imparted  to  her  first  shall  draw  the  nations  to  her.  Jvhovah 
and  his  glory^  which  are  jointly  said  to  rise  in  the  preceding 
verse,  are  here  divided  between  two  parallel  members,  and  the 
rising  predicated  of  the  first  alone, 

3.  And  nations  shall  walk  in  thy  light,  and  kings  in  the 
brightness  of  thy  rising,  i.  e.  thy  rising  brightnessf  or  the  bright 
light  which  shall  rise  upon  thee.  The  common  version,  to  thy 
light,  may  seem  at  first  sight  more  exact  than  the  one  here 
given,  but  is  really  less  so.  The  Hebrew  preposition  here 
used  does  not  correspond  to  our  to  as  a  particle  of  motion  or 
direction,  but  expresses  relation  in  the  widest  and  most  gen- 
eral manner.  It  is  often  therefore  interchanged  with  other 
particles,  and  to  among  the  rest,  but  is  not  to  be  so  ti-an slated 
here  or  in  any  other  case  without  necessity.  In  this  case  it 
seems  to  mean  that  they  shall  walk  with  reference  to  the  light 
in  question,  which  in  English  may  be  best  expressed  by  in,  but 
not  as  a  literal  translation.  The  sense  thus  yielded  is  in  some 
respects  better  than  the  other,  as  suggesting  the  idea  not  of 
mere  attraction  but  of  general  diffusion.  By  light  we  are 
then  to  understand  the  radiation  from  the  luminous  centre 
and  not  raere'y  the  centre  itself  This  explanation  of  the 
verse  is  given  by  the  best  of  the  modern  interpreters.  Some 
of  these,  however,  arbitrarily  apply  it  to  the  restoration  of  the 


360  CHAPTER    LX. 

Jews  from  exile,  who  were  to  be  accompanied  by  heathen  kings 
as  their  guides  and  protectors.  As  a  prophecy  this  never  was 
fulfilled.  As  a  visionary  anticipation  it  could  never  have  been 
entertained  by  a  contemporary  writer,  such  as  these  inter- 
preters suppose  the  author  of  the  book  to  be. 

4.  Lift  up  thine  eyes  round  about  (i.  e.  in  all  directions)  and 
see  ;  all  of  them  are  gathered,  they  come  to  thee,  thy  sons  from  afar 
shall  come,  and  thy  daughters  at  the  side  shall  he  borne.  See 
eh.  43  :  5-7  and  49  :  18-23.  Those  who  confine  these  proph- 
ecies to  the  Babylonish  exile,  understand  this  as  describing  the 
agency  of  heathen  states  and  sovereigns  in  the  restoration. 
But  in  this,  as  in  the  parallel  passages,  there  is,  by  a  strange 
coincidence,  no  word  or  phrase  implying  restoration  or  return, 
but  the  image  is  evidently  that  of  enlargement  and  accession  ; 
the  children  thus  brought  to  Zion  being  not  those  whom  she 
had  lost,  but  such  as  she  had  never  before  known,  as  is  evident 
from  ch.  49  :  21. 

5.  Then  shall  thou  see  (or  fear)  and  brighten  up  (or  overflov)), 
and  thy  heart  shall  throb  and  swell ;  because  (or  when)  the  abitn- 
dance  of  the  sea  shall  be  turned  upon  thee,  the  strength  of  nations 
shall  come  unto  thee.  This  translation  exhibits  the  points  of 
agreement  as  well  as  of  difference  among  interpreters  in  refer- 
ence to  this  verse.  All  agree  that  it  describes  a  great  and 
joyful  change  to  be  produced  by  the  accession  of  the  gentiles 
to  the  church  or  chosen  people,  and  the  effect  of  this  enlarge- 
ment on  the  latter.  The  form  of  the  first  verb  is  ambiguous. 
If  rendered  fear,  it  may  denote  the  painful  sensation  which 
often  attends  sudden  joy,  and  which  is  certainly  described  in 
the  next  clause.     A  fine  parallel  is  quoted  from  Lucretius : 

His  tibi  me  rebus  quaedam  divina  voluptas 
Percipit  atque  hoiror. 

The  other  meaning  is  sanctioned  by  all  the  ancient  versions,  and 


CHAPTER    LX.  361 

preferred  bj  many  of  tlie  best  interpreters.  Upon  can  hardly  be 
a  simple  substitute  for  /o,  but  is  rather  intended  to  suggest  the 
same  idea  as  when  we  speak  of  gifts  or  favours  being  showered 
or  lavished  on  a  person.  This  force  of  the  particle  is  well  ex- 
pressed in  Lowth's  translation,  tchcn  the  riches  of  the.  sea  shall  be 
pou-red  in  upon  thee,  but  with  too  little  regard  to  the  proper 
meaning  of  the  Plebrew  verb.  The  next  clause  is  a  repetition 
of  the  same  thought,  but  without  a  figure.  The  most  natural 
interpretation  of  the  verse  is  that  which  makes  it  a  promise  of 
indefinite  enlargement,  comprehending  both  the  persons  and 
the  riches  of  the  nations.  Even  literally  understood,  the 
promise  is  intelligible  and  most  welcome  to  the  philanthropic 
Chrisjtian,  as  affording  means  for  the  diffusion  of  the  truth  and 
the  conversion  of  the  world. 

6.  A  flood  of  camels  shall  cover  thee,  young  camels  (or  drome- 
daries) of  Midian  and  Ephah,  all  of  them  from  Shebd  shall  come, 
gold  and  incense  shall  they  bear,  and  the  praises  of  Jehovah  as 
good  news.  This  last  form  of  expression  is  adopted  in  order 
to  convey  the  full  force  of  the  Hebrew  verb,  M'hich  does  not 
mean  simply  to  announce  or  even  to  announce  with  joy.  but  to 
announce  glad  tidings.  (See  above,  on  ch,  40  :  9.)  Retain- 
ing this  sense  here,  the  word  would  seem  to  signify  not  the 
direct  praise  of  God,  but  the  announcement  of  the  fact  that 
otliers  praised  him,  and  the  messengers  would  be  described  as 
bringing  to  Jerusalem  the  news  of  the  conversion  of  their 
people.  The  literal  translation  of  the  first  word  throws  light 
upon  the  phrase  shall  cover  thee,  a  term  elsewhere  applied  to 
water  (e.  g.  ch.  11:9),  and  suggesting  here  the  poetical  idea 
of  a  city  not  merely  thronged  but  flooded  with  Arabian  cara- 
vans. '  The  camel  has  been  always  so  peculiarly  associated 
with  the  Arabs  that  they  are  described  by  Strabo  as  oxijvtKxt 
Kuui,lo:')OOitoi  They  are  here,  according  to  Isaiah's  practice, 
represented  by  a  group  of  ancestral  names.     Ephah  was  the 

VOL.    II. — 16 


362  CHAPTER  LX. 

eldest  son  of  Midian,  who  was  himself  the  son  of  Abraham 
by  Keturah  and  the  brother  of  Jokshau  the  father  of  Sheba. 
(Gen.  25  :  1-4.)  The  first  two  represent  northern  and  cen- 
tral Arabia,  the  third  Arabia  Felix,  so  called  by  the  old 
geographers  because  of  the  rich  products  which  it  furnished 
to  the  northern  traders,  either  from  its  own  resources  or  as 
an  entrepot  of  Indian  commerce.  The  queen  of  this  country, 
by  whom  Solomon  was  visited,  brought  with  her  gold,  gems, 
and  spices  in  abundance  (1  Kings  10:2),  and  we  read  else- 
where of  its  frankincense  ( Jer.  6  ;  20),  its  Pheniciau  commerce 
(Ezek.  27  :  29),  and  its  caravans  (Job  6  :  19),  while  those  of 
Midian  are  mentioned  even  in  the  patriarchal  history  (Gen. 
37  :  28).  It  is  a  common  opinion  of  interpreters  that  this 
verse  represents  the  east  as  joining  in  the  acts  of  homage 
and  of  tribute  which  the  one  before  it  had  ascribed  to  the 
west ;  but  it  may  well  be  doubted  whether  this  distinctive 
meaning  can  be  put  upon  the  terras  sea  and  nations  there  em- 
ployed, and  the  antithesis  would  hardly  be  in  keeping  with  an- 
other which  appears  to  be  designed  between  these  two  verses 
and  the  eighth,  as  will  be  explained  below. 

7.  All  the  fiocks  of  Kedar  shall  be  gathered  for  thee,  the  rams  of 
Nebaioth  shall  minister  to  thee,  they  shall  ascend  with  good-will 
(or  acceptably)  my  altar,  and  my  house  of  beauty  I  loill  beautify. 
To  the  traders  of  Arabia  with  their  caravans  and  precious  wares 
he  now  adds  her  shepherds  with  their  countless  flocks.  Kedar, 
the  second  son  of  Ishmael  (Gen.  25  :  13),  who  represents  Arabia 
in  ch.  21  :  16  and  42  :  11,  is  here  joined  for  the  same  purpose 
with  his  elder  brother  Nebaioth,  obviously  identical  with  the 
Nabataei,  the  name  given  to  the  people  of  Arabia  Petraea  by 
Strabo  and  Diodorus  Siculus,  who  represent  them  as  po.ssessL'd 
of  no  wealth  except  flocks  and  herds,  in  which  they  were 
extremely  rich.  Ezekiel  also  speaks  of  Tyre  as  trading  with 
Arabia  and  all  the  chiefs  of  Kedar  in  lainbs  and  rams  and  goats 


CHAPTER    LX.  363 

(Ezeli.  27  :  21.)  These  are  here  described  as  gathered  in  one 
vast  flock  to  Jerusalem,  or  rather  for  her,  i.  e.  for  her  use  or 
service,  which  agrees  best  with  what  follows,  and  with  the  usao-e 
of  the  Hebrew  preposition.  They  are  then,  by  a  bold  and 
striking  figure,  represented  as  offering  themselves,  which  is  first 
expressed  by  the  general  term  serve  or  minister,  and  then  more 
unequivocally  by  declaring  that  they  shall  themselves  ascend 
the  altar. 

8.  Who  are  these  that  fly  as  a  cloud  and  as  doves  to  their  win- 
dows? The  ships  expressly  mentioned  in  the  next  verse  are 
here  described  in  their  first  appearance  at  a  distance,  resembling 
with  their  outspread  sails  and  rapid  course  a  fleecy  cloud  driven 
by  the  wind,  and  a  flight  of  doves  returning  to  their  young. 
Both  comparisons  are  elsewhere  used  as  here  to  indicate  rapidity 
of  motion.  (Job  30  :  15.  Ps.  55  :  6.  Hos.  11:11.  Jer.  4;  13.) 
The  last  word  in  Hebrew  denotes  lattices  or  IziiicQdf  windoivs. 

9.  Because  for  me  the  isles  are  uiaiting  (or  must  unit),  and  the 
ships  of  Tarshish  in  the  first  place,  to  bring  thy  sons  from  far,  their 
silver  and  their  gold  with  them,  for  the  name  of  Jehovah  thy  God, 
and  for  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  because  he  has  glorified  thee.  This 
verse  contains  a  virtual  though  not  a  formal  answer  to  the 
question  in  the  one  before  it.  As  if  he  had  said.  Wonder  not 
that  these  are  seen  approaching,  for  the  whole  world  is  only 
awaiting  my  command  to  bring  thy  sons,  etc.  For  the  true 
sense  of  isles  see  above  on  ch.  42  :  4,  and  for  ships  of  Tarshish. 
It  is  an  interesting  question,  what  we  are  to  understand  in  this 
connection  by  the  ships  of  Tarshish,  to  which  such  extraordinary 
prominence  is  given  in  the  work  of  restoration.  Here,  as  in 
many  former  instances,  the  writer  does  not  even  accidentally 
use  any  term  explicitly  denoting  restoration  or  return,  but  only 
such  as  are  appropriate  to  mere  accession  and  increase  ab  extra. 
It  cannot  therefore  be  absurd,  even  if  it  is  erroneous,  to  apply 


364  CHAPTER   LX. 

■wliat  is  here  said  to  the  growth  of  the  true  Israel  or  chosen 
people  by  the  calling  of  the  gentiles,  with  particular  allusion  to 
the  wealth  of  the  commercial  nations,  from  among  whom  the 
elect  of  God,  the  sons  of  Zion.  when  they  come  to  the  embraces 
of  their  unknown  mother,  shall  come  bringing  their  silver  and 
gold  with  them. 

10.  And  strangers  shall  build  thy  tvalls,  and  their  kings  shall 
serve  thee;  for  in  my  wrath  I  smote  thee,  and  in  my  favour  I  have 
had  mercy  on  thee.  For  the  true  sense  of  the  phrase  translated 
strangers,  see  above,  on  ch.  56:3;  and  with  the  last  clause  com- 
pare ch.  54  :  7,  8.  The  for  relates  to  the  whole  of  that  clause 
taken  together,  not  to  the  first  member  by  itself  It  was  not 
because  God  had  been  angry,  but  because  he  had  been  angry 
and  relented,  that  they  were  to  be  thus  favoured.  (See  above, 
on  ch.  12  :  1.)  The  Prophet  here  foretells  the  agency  of 
strangers  or  new  converts  in  promoting  the  safety  and  prosperity 
of  Israel,  under  figures  borrowed  from  the  old  economy,  and 
implying  a  vicissitude  or  alternation  of  distress  and  joy,  such  as 
Isaiah  frequently  exhibits.  The  building  of  the  walls  here 
mentioned  is  the  same  as  that  in  Ps,  51  :  20,  (18,)  and  147 :  2, 
where  it  is  no  more  to  be  literally  understood  than  the  captivity 
of  Zion  in  Ps.  14  :  7,  or  that  of  Job  in  ch.  42  :  10. 

1 1.  And  thy  gates  shall  open  (or  be  open')  continually^  day  and 
night  thry  shall  not  be  shut,  to  bring  into  thee  the  strength  ofnatiojis 
and  their  kings  led  [captive  or  in  triumph).  According  to  some 
writers,  there  is  here  a  resumption  of  the  figures  in  v.  6,  and 
the  gates  are  represented  as  kept  open  day  and  night  by  the 
perpetual  influx  of  Arabian  caravans.  But  without  going  back 
to  the  peculiar  imagery  of  that  verse,  we  may  understand  the 
one  before  us  as  relating  to  the  influx  of  strangers  and  new 
converts  generally.  The  two  ideas  expressed  ai'e  those  of  un- 
obstructed  access   and  undisturbed   tranquillity.      Upon  this 


CHAPTER    LX.  365 

vevse,  perhaps  combined  with  Zech.  14  :  7,  is  founded  that 
beautiful  and  grand  description,  tlie  gales  of  U  shall  twl  be  shut 
at  all  by  daij,  for  there  shall  be  no  night  there  (Rev.  21  :  25). 
Strength  has  the  same  ambiguity  or  latitude  of  meaning  as  in 
V.  5.  The  sense  of  wealth  or  treasure  is  preferred  by  most 
of  the  late  writers,  but  some  understand  it  to  mean  military 
force.  Better  than  either,  because  comprehending  both,  is 
the  Latin  version  copia^  to  which  we  have  no  exact  equivalent 
in  English.  The  meaning  of  the  last  clause  is  that  earthly 
sovereigns  must  unite  in  this  adhesion  to  the  true  religion 
either  willingly  or  by  compulsion. 

12.  For  the  nation  and  the  kingdom  which  will  not  serve  thee 
shall  perish,  and  the  nations  shall  be  desolated,  desolated.  Similar 
threatenings  are  found  in  Zechariah  12:2,  3,  and  14;  17, 
in  the  last  of  which  places  there  is  a  specific  threat  of  drought, 
as  the  appointed  punishment.  This  has  led  sortie  writers  to 
explain  the  last  verb  here  as  meaning  to  be  utterly  dried  up  or 
parched.  But  in  ch.  37  :  18,  above,  it  is  applied  to  nations  in 
the  general  sense  of  desolation.  The  for  at  the  beginning  of 
the  verse  is  commonly  explained  as  introducing  a  reason  for  the 
confluence  of  strangers  just  before  predicted,  namely,  the  desire 
of  escaping  this  destruction;  but  it  may  as  well  be  understood 
to  give  a  reason  for  the  promise  of  increase  in  general.  The 
gates  of  Zion  shall  be  crowded,  because  all  shall  enter  into  them 
but  those  who  are  to  perish.  The  nations  in  the  last  clause  may 
mean  the  nations  just  described,  or,  as  the  common  version 
expresses  it,  those  nations.  But  it  may  also  mean,  perhaps  more 
naturally,  those  who  still  continue  to  be  gentiles,  heathen,  by 
refusing  to  unite  themselves  with  Israel.  The  threatening  in 
this  verse  is  a  very  serious  one,  however  understood  ;  but  it  is 
also  very  strange  and  unaccountable  if  understood  as  meaning 
that  all  nations  shall  be  utterly  destroyed  which  will  not  serve  ^ 
the  Jews  when  restored  to  their  own  country.     Even  if  we  give 


366  CHAPTER  LX  . 

to  serve  the  mitigated  sense  of  showing  favour  and  assisting, 
there  is  still  something  almost  revolting  in  the  penalty  annexed 
to  the  omission  ;  how  much  more  if  we  understand  it  as  denoting 
actual  subjection  and  hard  bondage.  The  whole  is  rendered 
clear  by  the  assumption  that  the  threatening  was  intended  to 
apply,  in  its  most  obvious  and  strongest  sense,  to  all  those 
nations  which  refuse  to  be  connected  with  the  Church  or  Israel 
of  God. 

13.  The  glory  of  Lebanon  to  thee  shall  come^  cypress^  pla7ie,  and 
box  together,  to  adorn  the  place  of  my  sanctuary,  and  the  place  of 
my  feet  I  will  honour.  The  glory  of  Lebanon  is  its  cedars.  For 
the  other  trees  here  mentioned,  see  above,  on  ch.  41  :  19,  where, 
as  here,  they  are  merely  representatives  of  ornamental  forest- 
trees  in  general.  The  place  of  my  sanctuary  has  been  generally 
understood  to  mean  the  sanctuary  itself;  but  several  of  the 
latest  writers  understand  by  it  Jerusalem,  as  being  the  place 
where  the  temple  was  erected.  The  same  sense  is  put  by  some 
writers  on  the  place  of  my  feet,  that  is,  the  place  where  I  habitu- 
ally stand  or  walk.  (Ezek.  43  :  7.)  The  older  writers  generally 
understand  by  it  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  considered  as  the 
footstool  of  Jehovah  (I  Chron.  28  :  2.  Ps.  99  :  5.  132  :  7)  when 
enthroned  upon  or  between  the  cherubim  (ch.  37  :  16.  Ps.  80  :  1). 
In  favour  of  the  wider  sense  is  the  analogy  of  ch.  66  :  1,  where 
the  sam«  description  is  applied  to  the  whole  earth,  but  in  refer- 
ence to  heaven  as  the  throne  of  God.  Another  topic  upon  which 
interpreters  have  been  divided,  is  the  question  whether  the 
adorning  mentioned  here  is  that  of  cultivated  grounds  by  living 
trees,  or  that  of  buildings  by  the  use  of  the  choicest  kinds  of 
timber.  The  latter  opinion  has  most  commonly  prevailed,  but 
the  other  is  far  more  pleasing  in  itself  and  more  in  keeping  with 
the  poetical  tone  of  the  whole  context.  In  either  case  the 
meaning  of  the  figure  is  that  the  earthly  residence  of  God 
shall  be  invested  with  the  most  attractive  forms  of  beauty. 


CHAPTER    LX.  367 

14.  Theii  shall  come  to  thee  bending  the  sons  of  thy  oppressors, 
then  shall  bow  doion  to  the  soles  of  thy  feet  all  thy  despisers,  and 
shall  call  thee  the  City  of  Jehovah,  Zion  the  holy  {place)  of  Israel 
(or  the  Zion  of  the  Holy  One  of  Israel).  For  the  same  ideas 
and  expressions,  see  above,  ch.  45  :  14  and  49  :  23.  The  act 
described  is  the  oriental  prostration  as  a  sign  of  the  profound- 
est  reverence.  The  sons  are  mentioned  either  for  the  purpose 
of  contrasting  the  successive  generations  more  emphatically, 
or  as  a  mere  oriental  idiom  without  distinctive  meaning.  In 
favour  of  the  latter  supposition  is  the  circumstance  that  it  is 
wanting  in  the  other  clause,  where  the  despisers  are  themselves 
represented  as  doing  the  same  thing  with  the  sons  of  the  op- 
pressors. These  humbled  enemies  are  represented  as  acknowl- 
edging the  claim  of  Zion  to  be  recognized  as  the  holy  place  and 
dwelling  of  Jehovah.  On  the  supposition  hitherto  assumed 
as  the  basis  of  the  exposition,  this  verse  simply  means  that  the 
enemies  of  the  Church  shall  recognize  her  in  het  true  relation 
to  her  divine  Head. 

15.  Instead  of  thy  being  forsaketi  and  hated  and  with  none 
passing  (through  thee),  I  will  place  thee  for  a  boast  of  perpetuity, 
a  joy  of  age  and  age  (i.  e.  forever).  The  first  word  may  ex- 
press either  simply  a  change  of  condition  (^whereas),  or  the  rea- 
son of  the  change  {because),  or  the  further  idea  of  equitable 
compensation.  The  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  second  clause 
in  Hebrew  is  commonly  regarded  as  the  sign  of  the  apodosis, 
and  as  such  cannot  be  expressed  in  English. 

16.  And  thou  shall  suck  the  milk  of  nations,  and  the  breast  of 
kings  shall  thou  suck,  and  thou  shall  know  that  1.  Jehovah,  am 
thy  saviour,  and  {that)  thy  redeemer  {is)  the  Mighty  One  of  Jacob. 
All  interpreters  agree  in  applying  this  verse  to  the  influx  of 
wealth  and  power  and  whatever  else  the  kings  and  nations  of 
the  earth  can  contribute  to  the  progress  of  the  true  religion. 


868  CHAPTER    LX. 

The  figure  is  derived  from  Deut.  33  :  19,  they  shall  suck  iJie 
abundance  of  the  seas.  The  catachresis  in  the  second  clause  is 
not  a  mere  rhetorical  blunder,  but  an  example  of  the  sense 
overmastering  the  style,  a  license  the  occasional  use  of  which 
is  characteristic  of  a  bold  and  energetic  writer.  It  also  serves 
the  useful  purpose  of  showing  how  purely  ti'opical  the  language 
is.  Each  member  of  the  last  clause  contains  a  subject  and  a 
predicate,  and  therefore  a  complete  proposition.  The  sense  is 
nut  merely  that  Jehovah  is  the  Miglity  One  of  Jacob,  but  that 
the  Mighty  God  of  Jacob  is  Israel's  redeemer,  and  the  self- 
existent  everlasting-  God  his  saviour. 

17.  Instead  of  brass  (or  copper)  I  ivill  bring  gold,  and  instead 
of  iron  I  will  bring  silver,  and  instead  of  loood  brass,  and  instead 
of  stones  iron,  and  I  will  place  (or  make)  thy  government  peace  and 
thy  rulers  righteousness.  The  thought  which  is  naturally  sug- 
gested by  the  words  is  that  all  things  shall  be  changed  for  the 
better.  The  change  described  is  not  a  change  in  kind,  i.  e. 
from  bad  to  good,  but  in  degree,  i  e  from  good  to  better  ;  be- 
cause the  same  things  which  appear  to  be  rejected  in  the  first 
clause  are  expressly  promised  in  the  second.  See  a  similar 
gradation  in  ch.  30  :  26.  Zech.  14  :  20.  1  Cor.  3  :  12.  15  :  41. 
The  last  clause  resolves  the  figure  into  literal  expressions,  and 
thus  shows  that  the  promise  has  respect  not  to  money  but  to 
moral  advantages,  fr^ps  properly  means  office,  magistracy, 
government,  here  put  for  those  who  exercise  it,  like  nobility, 
ministry,  and  other  terms  in  English.  (Compare  the  Hebrew 
of  Ezek.  9  :  1.  2  Kings  11  :  18.)  Q'^'i'Sb,  which  has  commonly 
a  bad  sense,  is  here  used  for  magistrates  or  rulers  in  general, 
for  the  purpose  of  suggesting,  that  instead  of  tyrants  or  exact- 
ors the  people  should  now  be  under  equitable  government. 

18.  There  shall  no  more  be  heard  violence  in  thy  land,  desola- 
tion and  ruin  in  thy  borders  (or  within  thy  bounds)  ;  and  thou, 


CHAPTER    LX.  369 

shall  call  salvation  thy  walls,  and  thy  gat-^s  praise.  The  most 
natural  explanation  of  the  last  clause  is  that  which  makes  it 
mean  that  the  walls  shall  afiFord  safety  (ch  26  :  1)  and  the 
gates  occasion  of  praise  Some  understand  by  praise  the  praise 
of  God  for  her  continued  safety  :  others  the  praise  or  fame  of 
her  defences,  considered  either  as  arising  from  victorious  re:-ist- 
ance  to  assault,  or  as  preventing  it.  Thou  shalt  call,  as  in 
many  other  cases,  means,  thou  shalt  have  a  right  and  reason  so 
to  call  them.     With  this  verse  compare  ch.  65  :  19-25. 

19.  Ko  more  shall  he  to  tJice  the  sun  for  a  light  by  clay,  and  for 
brightness  the  moon  shall  nut  shine  to  thee^  and  Jehovah  shall  be- 
come thy  everlasting  light,  and  thy  God  thy  glory.  Some  regard 
this  merely  as  a  figurative  promise  of  prosperity,  of  which 
light  is  a  natural  and  common  emblem.  Others  understand  it 
as  a  promise  of  God's  residence  among  his  people,  clothed  in 
such  transcendent  brightness  as  to  make  the  li^ht  of  the  sun 
and  the  moon  useless.  The  true  sense  of  the  figures  seems  to 
be,  that  all  natural  sources  of  illumination  shall  be  swallowed 
up  in  the  clear  manifestation  of  the  presence,  power,  and  will 
of  God.     With  this  verse  compare  Rev.  21  :  23.  22  :  5. 

20.  Thy  sun  shall  set  no  more.,  and  thy  moon  shall  not  be  with- 
drawn ;  for  Jishovah  shall  be  unto  thee  for  an  eternal  light,  and 
compkted  the  days  of  thy  mourning.  There  is  no  need  of  suppos- 
ing any  want  of  consistency  between  this  verse  and  that  be- 
fore it,  nor  even  that  the  Prophet  gives  a  new  turn  to  his  meta- 
phor. Thy  su?i  shall  set  no  more  is  evidently  tantamount  to 
saying,  thou  shalt  no  more  have  a  sun  that  sets  or  a  moon  that 
withdraws  herself,  because  etc.  The  active  verb  rex  is  used 
in  the  same  way  by  Joel,  where  he  says  that  the  stars  uilhdraw 
their  brightness,  i.  e.  cease  to  shine.  The  expression  is  generic, 
and  may  comprehend  all  failure  or  decrease  of  light,  whether 
by  setting,  waning,  or  eclipse,  or  by  the  temporary  intervention 

16* 


3'70  CHAPTER  LX. 

of  a  cloud.  The  last  words  of  this  verse  furnish  a  key  to  the 
whole  description,  by  identifying  joy  with  light,  and  grief  with 
darkness.  Compare  with  this  verse  ch.  25  :  8.  Zech.  14:7. 
Rev.  7  :  16.  21:4;  and  with  the  phrase,  ^ays  of  mour)u?ig-j  Gen. 
27:  41. 

21.  A7id  t hi/  people,  all  of  them  righteous,  forever  shall  inherit 
the  earth,  the  branch  (or  shoot)  of  my  planting,  the  work  of  my 
hands,  to  glorify  myself  (or  to  be  glorified).  Compare  ch.  4  :  2. 
33:24.  35:8.  52  :  1.  Rev.  21:7,27.  The  first  clause  may 
also  be  read  as  two  distinct  propositions,  thy  people  all  of  them 
are  (or  shall  be)  righteous,  forever  they  shall  inherit  the  earth. 
According  to  the  literal  interpretation,  so  called,  this  is  a  prom- 
ise that  the  Jews  shall  possess  the  Holy  Land  forever.  But 
even  granting  land  to  be  a  more  literal  and  exact  translation, 
which  it  is  not,  still  the  usage  of  the  Scriptures  has  attached  to 
this  prophetic  formula  a  much  higher  meaning,  the  possession 
of  the  land  being  just  such  a  type  or  symbol  of  the  highest  fu- 
ture blessings  as  the  exodus  from  Egypt  is  of  ultimate  deliver- 
ance, or  the  overthrow  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  of  sudden,  con- 
dign, irretrievable  destruction.  But  in  favour  of  the  wider  ver- 
sion, earth,  is  the  analogy  of  ch.  49  :  8,  where  Israel  is  repre- 
sented as  occupying  and  restoring  the  desolate  heritages  of  the 
whole  earth.  The  dependence  of  God's  people  on  himself  for 
the  origin  and  sustentation  of  their  spiritual  life  is  forcibly  ex- 
pressed by  the  figure  of  a  plant  which  he  has  planted  (Ps.  92  : 
13.  Matt.  15  :  13.  John  15  :  1,  2),  and  by  that  of  a  work  which 
he  has  wrought  (ch.  29  :  23.  43  :  7),  in  reference  to  the  last  of 
which  the  Apostle  says  (Eph.  2:  10),  we  are  his  workmanship, 
created  in  Christ  Jesus  unto  good  works,  which  God  hath  before 
ordained  thM  we  should  walk  in  them  ;  and  in  reference  to  the 
first,  our  Lord  himself  says  (John  15:8),  herein  is  my  Father 
glorified  that  ye  bear  much  fruit,  so  shall  ye  be  my  disciples  ;  and 
again,  with  an  entire  change  of  figure  (Matt.  5  :  16),  let  your 


CHAPTER    LX.  371 

light  so  shi?ie  before  men  that  they  may  see  your  good  works  and 
glorify  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  The  same  ultimate  design 
is  set  forth  in  the  words  of  the  verse  before  us,  which  predicts 
the  elevation  of  the  church  to  its  normal  or  ideal  state,  a  change 
of  which  we  may  already  see  the  rudiments,  however  far  we 
may  be  yet  from  its  final  consummation. 

22.  The  little  one  shall  become  a  thousand^  and  the  small  one  a 
strong  nation  ;  I,  Jehovah,  in  its  time  will  hasten  it.  This  verse 
is  simply  a  description  of  increase,  like  that  in  ch.  26  :  15.  49  : 
19,  20.  etc.  The  pronouns  in  the  last  clause  refer  to  the  whole 
preceding  series  of  prophecies.  (Compare  ch.  43  :  13.  46  :  11.) 
The  his  in  the  common  version  is  equivalent  to  its  in  modern 
English,  a  posses.sive  form  apparently  unknown  to  the  transla- 
tors of  the  Bible.  I  tcill  haste?i  it  has  reference  to  the  time  or- 
dained for  the  event,  or  may  denote  the  suddenness  of  its  oc- 
currence, without  regard  to  its  remoteness  or  the  length  of  the 
intervening  period.  (See  above,  on  ch.  13  :  22.)  The  Jerusa- 
lem or  Zion  of  this  passage  is  not  the  primitive  or  apostolic 
church,  to  which  the  description  is  in  many  points  inapplicable  ; 
whereas  it  is  perfectly  appropriate  to  the  New  Jerusalem,  the 
Christian  Church,  not  as  it  was,  or  is,  or  will  be  at  any  period 
of  its  history  exclusively,  but  viewed  in  reference  to  the  whole 
course  of  that  history,  and  in  contrast  with  the  many  disadvan- 
tages and  hardships  of  the  old  economy. 


372  CHATTER   LXI. 


CHAPTEli    LXI. 

After  describing  the  new  condition  of  the  Church,  he  again 
introduces  the  great  personage  by  whom  the  change  is  to  be 
brought  about.  His  mission  and  its  object  are  described  by 
himself  in  vs.  1-3.  Its  grand  result  shall  be  the  restoration 
of  a  ruined  world,  v.  4.  The  church,  as  a  mediator  between 
God  and  the  revolted  nations,  shall  enjoy  their  service  and 
support,  vs.  5,  G.  The  shame  of  God's  people  shall  be  changed 
to  honour,  v.  7.  His  righteousness  is  pledged  to  this  eflfect 
v.  8.  The  church,  once  restricted  to  a-single  nation,  shall  be 
recognized  and  honoured  among  all,  v.  9.  lie  triumphs  in  the 
prospect  of  the  universal  spread  of  truth  and  righteousness, 
vs.  10,  11. 

1.  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  Jehovah  [is)  upon  me.  because  Jeho- 
vah hath  anointed  me  to  bring  good  neios  to  the  humble,  he  hath 
sent  me  to  bind  vp  the  broken  in  heart,  to  proclaim  to  captives  free- 
dom, and  to  the  bound  opeti  opening  (of  the  eyes  or  of  the  prison- 
doors).  Unction  in  the  Old  Testament  is  not  a  mere  sign  of 
consecration  to  oSce,  whether  that  of  a  Prophet,  Priest,  or 
King  (1  Kings  19  :  16  Lev.  8  :  12  1  Kings  1  :  39),  but  the 
symbol  of  spiritual  influences,  by  which  the  recipient  was  both 
qualified  and  designated  for  his  work.  (See  1  Sam.  10  :  1,  6. 
16:  13.)  The  office  here  described  approaches  nearest  to  the 
prophetic.  The  specific  functions  mentioned  have  all  occurred 
and  been  explained  before.  (See  above,  on  ch,  42  :  1-7.  48:16. 
49  :  1-9.  50  :  4.  51  :  16  )  The  proclamation  of  liberty  has  ref- 
erence to  the  year  of  jubilee  under  the  Mosaic  law  (Lev.  25  :  10, 
13.  27  :  24.  Jer.  34  :  8-10),  which  is  expressly  called  the  year 
of  liberty  or  liberation  by  Ezekiel  (46  :  17).  For  reasons  which 
have  been  already  given,  the  only  natural  sense  which  can  be 


CHAPTER    LXI.  '3l3 

put  upon  the  last  words  is  that  of  spiritual  blindness  and  illu- 
mination. (See  above,  on  cb.  42  :  7.  50  :  10.)  With  this  ques- 
tion is  connected  another  as  to  the  person  here  introduced  as 
speaking.  Many  orthodox  interpreters  regard  the  question  as 
decided  by  our  Lord  himself  in  the  synagogue  at  Nazareth, 
"when,  after  reading  this  verse  and  a  portion  of  the  next  from 
the  book  of  the  Prophet  Isaiah,  he  began  to  say  unto  them,  this  day 
is  the  scripture  fulfilled  in  your  ears.  (Luke  4:  16-22.)  The 
brevity  of  this  discourse,  compared  with  the  statement  which 
immediately  follows,  that  the  people  bare  him  witness,  and  tcon- 
dered  at  the-gracious  words  which  proaeded  out  of  his  mouth,  and 
connected  with  the  singular  expression  that  he  began,  thus  to 
say  unto  them,  makes  it  probable  tliat  we  have  only  the  begin- 
ning or  a  summary  of  what  the  Saviour  said  on  that  occasion. 
That  the  whole  is  not  recorded  may  however  be  regarded  as  a 
proof  that  his  discourse  contained  no  interpretation  of  the  place 
before  us  which  may  not  be  gathered  from  the  few  words  left 
on  record,  or  from  the  text  and  context  of  the  prophecy  itself. 
Now  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  words  of  Christ  just  quoted 
do  not  necessarily  import  that  he  is  the  direct  and  only  subject 
of  the  prophecy  ;  for  even  if  the  subject  were  Isaiah,  or  the 
Prophets  as  a  class,  or  Israel,  yet  if  at  the  same  time  the  effects 
foretold  were  coming  then  to  pass,  our.  Lord  might  say,  this  day 
is  this  scrijiture  fulfilled  in  your  ears.  Upon  this  ground  some 
adopt  the  application  to  Isaiah,  without  disowning  the  authority 
of  Christ  as  an  interpreter  of  prophecy.  But  this  restriction 
of  the  passage  is  at  variance  with  what  we  have  already  seen  to 
be  the  true  sense  of  the  parallel  places  (ch.  42  :  \-T  and  ch. 
49  ;  1-9),  where  the  form  of  expression  is  the  same,  and  where 
all  agree  that  the  same  speaker  is  brought  forward.  If  it  has 
been  concluded  on  sufficient  grounds  that  the  ideal  person  there 
presented  is  the  Messiah,  the  same  conclusion  cannot,  without 
arbitrary  violence,  be  avoided  here,  and  thus  the  prophecy  it- 
self interprets  our  Lord's  words  instead  of  being  interpreted  by 


374  CHAPTER  LXI. 

them.  This  in  the  present  case  is  more  satisfactory,  because  it 
cuts  off  all  objection  drawn  from  the  indefinite  character  of  his 
expressions.  At  the  same  time,  and  by  parity  of  reasoning,  a 
subordinate  and  secondary  reference  to  Israel  as  a  representa- 
tive of  the  Messiah,  and  to  the  Prophets  as  in  some  sense  the 
representatives  of  Israel  as  well  as  of  Messiah  in  their  prophetic 
character,  must  be  admitted  ;  and  thus  we  are  brought  again 
to  Christ  as  the  last  and  the  ideal  Prophet,  and  to  the  ground 
assumed  by  the  profound  and  far-seeing  Calvin,  for  which  he 
has  been  severely  censured  even  by  Calvini&tic  writers,  and 
which  has  been  called  a  concession  to  the  Jews  instead  of  a 
concession  to  candour,  faith,  good  taste,  and  common  sense. 

2.  To  proclaim  a  year  of  favour  for  Jehovah  and  a  day  of  ven- 
geance for  our  God^  to  comfort  all  mourners.  Clement  of  Alexan- 
dria inferred  from  the  use  of  the  word  year  in  this  verse  that 
our  Lord's  public  ministry  was  only  one  year  in  duration,  a 
conclusion  wholly  irreconcilable  with  the  gospel  history.  The 
expression  is  a  poetical  equivalent  to  day^  suggested  by  the 
previous  allusion  to  the  year  of  jubilee.  The  same  two  words 
occur  as  parallels  in  ch.  34  :  8.  63  :  4,  while  in  ch.  49  :  8  we 
have  the  general  expression  tivie  of  favour.  For  the  meaning 
of  the  last  words  of  the  verse,  see  above,  on  ch  49  :  13  and 
57  :  18.  They  may  either  be  descriptive  of  sufferers,  as  the 
persons  needing  consolation,  or  of  penitents,  as  those  who  shall 
alone  receive  it. 

3.  To  clothe  Zmi's  mourners.,  to  give  them  a  crown  instead  of 
ashes.,  the  oil  of  joy  for  mom-ning,  a  garment  of  praise  for  a  faint 
spirit ;  and  it  shall  be  called  to  them  (or  they  shall  be  called)  the 
oaks  of  righteousness,  the  planting  of  Jehovah  (i.  e.  planted  by 
Jehovah)  to  glorify  himself.  The  construction  seems  to  be  inter- 
rupted and  resumed,  a  practice  not  unfrequent  with  Isaiah. 
Of  the  many  senses  which  might  here  be  attached  to  the  first 


CHAPTER   LX  I.  375 

verb,  the  most  appropriate  is  that  of  putting  on,  as  applied  to 
dress,  though  with  another  particle,  in  Gen.  37  :  34.  41  :  42, 
and  often  elsewhere.  The  English  version  has  appoint,  which 
is  justified  by  usage,  but  loss  suitable  in  this  case  than  the  one 
above  proposed.  By  the  repetition  of  the  word  mourners,  this 
verse  is  wrought  into  the  foregoing  context  in  a  mode  of  which 
we  have  had  several  examples.  (See  above,  on  ch.  60  :  15.) 
Zion^s  mourners  may  be  simply  those  who  mourn  in  Zion,  or 
those  who  mourn  for  her  (ch.  66  ;  10);  but  as  these  ideas  are 
not  incompatible,  both  may  be  included.  (Compare  ch.  57  :  18. 
60  :  20.)  That  unguents  were  not  used  by  mourners  but  re- 
joicers,  may  be  learned  from  a  comparison  of  2  Sam.  14  :  2 
with  Ps.  23  :  5.  The  mixture  not  only  of  metaphors  but  also 
of  literal  and  figurative  language  in  this  verse,  shows  clearly 
that  it  has  respect  to  spiritual  not  external  changes.  (Com- 
pare ch.  44  :  4.  60  :  21.) 

4.  And  they  shall  build  up  the  ruins  of  antiquity,  the  desolations 
of  the  ancients  they  shall  raise,  and  shall  renew  the  cities  of  ruin 
(i.  e.  ruined  cities),  the  desolations  of  age  and  age.  Both  the 
thought  and  language  of  this  verse  have  been  explained  already. 
(See  above,  on  ch.  49  :  8.  54  :  3.  58  :  12.)  The  verb  renew  is 
applied  as  in  2  Chr.  15  :  8.  24  :  4. 

5.  Then  shall  stand  strangers  and  feed  your  flocks,  and  the 
children  of  outland  {shall  be)  your  ploughmen  and  your  vine- 
dressers. As  to  the  meaning  of  this  prophecy,  interpreters  are 
much  divided.  Some  seem  to  take  it  in  the  strictest  sense  as  a 
promise  that  the  heathen  should  be  slaves  to  the  Jews.  (See 
above,  on  ch.  14  :  2.)  Others  understand  it  as  meaning  that 
the  Jews  should  confine  themselves  to  spiritual  services,  and 
leave  mere  secular  pursuits  to  the  gentiles.  Nearly  allied  to 
this  is  the  explanation  that  the  Jews  and  gentiles  are  described 
as  sustaining  the  relation  of  priests  and  laymen  to  each  other. 


376  CHAPTER    LXI. 

Some  qualify  it  still  more  by  describing  the  relation  to  be  tbat 
of  the  Levites  to  the  other  tribes,  and  even  this  restricted  by 
the  promise  in  oh.  66  :  21.  But  that  verse  shows  conclusively 
that  no  exclusive  promise  of  Levitical  or  sacerdotal  rank  to  the 
Jews,  as  distinguished  from  the  gentiles,  can  be  here  intended. 
This  is  confirmed  by  the  language  of  Peter,  who  applies  the 
promise  of  the  next  verse  to  the  Christian  church  (1  Pet.  2  :  5). 
The  only  way  in  which  all  these  seeming  discrepancies  can  be 
reconciled,  is  by  supposing,  as  we  have  done  hitherto,  that  even 
in  Ex.  19  :  6  the  promise  is  addressed  to  Israel  not  as  a  nation 
but  a  church  ;  so  that  when  the  Jewish  people  ceased  to  bear 
this  character,  they  lost  all  claim  to  the  fulfilment  of  the 
promise,  which  is  still  in  force  and  still  enures  to  the  benefit 
of  those  to  whom  it  was  originally  given,  namely,  the  Israel  of 
God,  that  is  to  say,  his  church  or  chosen  people.  That  the 
holders  of  this  office  might  in  strict  accordance  with  the  usage 
of  Scripture  and  of  this  book  be  described  as  shepherds,  hus- 
bandmen, and  vinedressers,  may  be  seen  by  a  comparison  of 
oh  3  :  14.  5:1.  11  :  6.  27  :  2.  30  :  23,  24.  40  :  11  with  Acts 
20  :  28.  1  Cor.  3:9.  9:7,  and  with  the  imagery  of  our 
Saviour's  parables.  It  does  not  follow  necessarily,  however, 
that  the  office  here  assigned  to  strangers  and  foreigners  is  that 
of  spiritual  guides,  much  less  that  they  are  doomed  to  a  de- 
grading servitude.  The  simplest  explanation  of  the  verse  is 
that  which  understands  it  as  descriptive  not  of  subjugation  but 
of  intimate  conjunction,  as  if  he  had  said,  those  who  are  now 
strangers  and  foreigners  shall  yet  be  sharers  in  your  daily  occu- 
pations and  intrusted  with  your  dearest  interests.  By  stran- 
gers we  are  then  to  understand  not  Gentiles  as  opposed  to  Jews, 
but  all  who  have  been  aliens  from  the  covenant  of  mercy  and 
the  church  of  God. 

6.  And  ye  (or  more  emphatically,  as  for  you),  the  priests  of 
Jehovah  shall  ye  be  called^  the  mmUlers  of  our  God  shall  be  said  to 


CHAPTER    LXI.  377 

yoxb  (or  of  i/ou),  the  strength  of  nations  shall  ye  eat^  and  in  thier 
glory  shall  ye  substitute  yourselves  (or  into  their  glory  shall  ye 
enter  by  exchange).  Most  of  the  earlier  writers  agree  sub- 
stantially in  the  version  of  the  last  word,  which  they  regard  as 
an  orthographical  variation  of  ^laxn^  in  Ps.  94  :  4,  where  it 
seems  to  denote  talking  of  one's  self,  and,  by  a  natural  transi- 
tion, glorying  or  boasting.  But  all  the  latest  writers  have  gone 
back  to  the  explanation  of  the  word  as  denoting  '•  mutual 
exchange  or  substitution.'  This  word  is  important  as  deter- 
mining the  sense,  not  only  of  the  whole  verse,  but  of  that  before 
it,  by  requiring  both  to  be  considered  as  descriptive  not  of  ex- 
altation and  subjection,  but  of  mutual  exchange,  implying  inti- 
mate association.  Some,  it  is  true,  attempt  to  carry  out  the 
first  idea  even  here,  by  making  this  last  word  denote  an  abso- 
lute exclusive  substitution,  i.  e.  the  dispossession  of  the  Gentiles 
by  the  Jews.  But  the  context,  etymology,  and  usage,  all  com- 
bine to  recommend  the  idea  of  reciprocal  exchange  or  mutual 
substitution.  Interpreters,  in  seeking  a  factitious  antithesis 
between  the  verses,  have  entirely  overlooked  the  natural  an- 
tithesis between  the  clauses  of  this  one  verse.  They  have  sup- 
posed the  contrast  intended  to  be  that  between  servitude  and 
priesthood  :  '  they  shall  be  your  servants,  and  ye  shall  be  their 
priests.'  But  we  have  seen  already  that  the  fifth  verse  cannot, 
in  consistency  with  eh.  66  :  10,  denote  anything  but  intimate 
conjunction  and  participation.  The  true  antithesis  is:  'ye 
shall  be  their  priests,  and  they  shall  be  your  purveyors ;  you 
shall  supply  their  spiritual  wants,  and  they  shall  supply  your 
temporal  wants '  This  explanation  of  the  verse,  to  which  we 
have  been  naturally  led  by  philological  induction  and  the  con- 
text, coincides,  in  a  manner  too  remarkable  to  be  considered 
accidental,  with  the  words  of  Paul  in  writing  to  the  Romans  of 
the  contribution  made  by  the  churches  of  Macedonia  and  Achaia 
for  the  poor  saints  at  Jerusalem.  //  halh  pleased  them  verily,  and 
llieir  debtors  they  are  (i.  e.  they  have  chosen  to  do  it,  and  indeed 


378  CHAPTER    LXI. 

were  bound  to  do  it) ;  for  if  the  gentiles  have  been  made  partakers 
of  their  spiritual  things,  their  duly  is  also  to  minister  unto  them  in 
carnal  things.  (Rom.  15  :  27.)  This  may  seem,  however,  to 
determine  the  object  of  address  to  be  the  Jews ;  but  no  such 
inference  can  fairly  be  deduced  from  the  words  of  the  Apostle, 
who  is  only  making  one  specific  application  of  the  general  truth 
taught  by  the  Prophet.  What  was  true  of  the  gentile  converts 
then,  in  relation  to  the  Jewish  Christians  as  their  mother-church, 
is  no  less  true  of  the  heathen  now,  or  even  of  the  converted 
Jews,  in  reference  to  the  Christians  who  impart  the  gospel  to 
them.  The  essential  idea  in  both  places  is,  that  the  church, 
the  chosen  people,  or  the  Israel  of  God.  is  charged  with  the 
duty  of  communicating  spiritual  things  to  those  without,  and 
entitled  in  return  to  an  increase  of  outward  strength  from  those 
who  thus  become  incorporated  with  it.  But  it  is  not  merely 
in  this  lower  sense  that  the  people  of  God  are,  in  the  law 
and  the  gospel,  as  well  as  in  the  prophets,  represented  as 
the  ministers  and  priests  of  God.  Not  only  as  instructors 
and  reclaimers  of  the  unbelieving  world  do  they  enjoy  this 
sacred  dignity,  but  also  as  the  only  representatives  of  their 
Great  High  Priest,  in  him  and  through  him  possessing  free 
access  to  the  fountain  of  salvation  and  the  throne  of  grace. 
(Heb.  4  :  14-16.)  In  this  respect,  as  in  every  other  which 
concerns  the  method  of  salvation  and  access  to  God,  there  is  no 
distinction  of  Jew  and  Gentile,  any  more  than  of  Greek  and 
barbarian,  male  and  female,  bond  and  free ;  but  all  are  Christ's, 
and  Christ  is  God's,  and  all  alike  are  priests  and  ministers  of 
God. 

7.  Instead  of  your  shame  (ye  shall  have)  double,  and  (instead 
of  their)  confusion  they  shall  celebrate  their  portion ;  therefore  in 
their  land  shall  they  inherit  double,  everlasting  joy  shall  be  to  them. 
It  is  not  impossible  that  the  Prophet  has  in  view  the  same  two 
classes  who  are  distinctly  mentioned  in  the  preceding  verses. 


CHAPTER    LXI.  379 

Double  is  used  indefinitely  to  denote  a  large  proportion.     Com- 
pare ch.  40  :  2. 

8.  For  I  am  Jehovah,  loving  justice,  hating  (that  which  is) 
taken  away  unjustly,  and  I  will  give  their  hire  truly,  and  an 
everlasting  covenant  I  strike  for  them.  This  verse  is  commonly 
applied  to  the  violence  practised  upon  Israel  by  the  Babylo- 
nians. (Compare  ch.  42  :  24.)  It  is  rather  an  enunciation  of 
the  general  truth,  that  the  divine  justice  renders  absolutely 
necessary  the  destruction  of  his  obstinate  enemies,  and  the  de- 
liverance of  his  people  from  oppression.  (Compare  2  Thess. 
1  :  6-8.) 

9.  Then  shall  be  known  among  the  7iations  their  seed,  and  their 
issue  in  the  midst  of  the  peoples.  All  seeing  them  shall  acknowledge 
them,  that  they  are  a  seed  Jehovah  has  blessed.  The  first  clause 
means  that  they  shall  be  known  among  the  nations  in  their 
true  character  as  a  seed  or  race  highly  favoured  of  Jehovah. 
Issue  means  progeny  or  offspring,  as  in  ch.  48  :  19.  In  order 
to  apply  this  to  the  restored  Jews,  we  must  depart  from  the 
literal  and  obvious  import  of  among  and  in  the  midst,  and  un- 
derstand them  as  denoting  merely  that  they  shall  be  heard  of; 
for  how  can  they  be  said  to  be  among  and  in  the  midst  of  the 
nations  at  the  very  time  when  they  are  gathered  from  them  to 
their  own  land.  And  yet  the  whole  connection  seems  to  favour 
the  first  meaning,  and  to  show  that  they  are  here  described  as 
being  scattered  through  the  nations,  and  there  recognized  by, 
clear  distinctive  marks  as  being  God's  peculiar  people,  just 
as  the  Jews  took  knowledge  of  Peter  and  John  that  they  had 
been  with  Jesus.  (Acts  4  :  13.)  The  later  writers  liken  the 
construction  to  that  in  Gen.  I  ;  4,  God  saw  the  light  that  it 
was  good ;  not  simply  saw  that  the  light  was  good,  but  saw 
the  light  itself,  and  in  so  doing  saw  that  it  was  good.  So  here 
the  meaning  is  not  merely  that  all  seeing  them  shall  acknowl- 


380  CHAPTER    LXI. 

edge  that  they  are  a  seed,  etc.,  but  that  all  seeing  them  shall 
recognize  them,  by  recognizing  the  effects  and  evidences  of  the 
divine  blessing.  I'he  ellipsis  of  the  relative  is  the  same  in 
Hebrew  and  colloquial  English  The  true  application  of  the 
verse  is  to  the  Israel  of  God  in  its  diifusion  among  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth,  who  shall  be  constrained  by  what  they 
see  of  their  spirit,  character,  and  conduct,  to  acknowledge  that 
they  are  the  seed  which  the  Lord  hath  blessed.  The  glorious 
fulfilment  of  this  promise  in  its  original  and  proper  sense,  may 
be  seen  already  in  the  influence  exerted  by  the  eloquent  exam- 
ple of  the  missionary  on  the  most  ignorant  and  corrupted 
heathen,  without  waiting  for  the  future  restoration  of  the  Jews 
to  the  laud  of  their  fathers. 

10.  (/  to  ill)  joy,  I  ivill  joy  in  Jehovah^  let  my  soul  exult  in  my 
God ;  for  he  hath  clothed  me  with  garments  of  salvation^  a  mantle 
of  righteousness  has  he  put  on  me,  as  the  bridegroom  adjusts  his 
j')rieslly  crown,  and  as  the  bride  arrays  her  jewels.  These  are 
the  words  of  the  same  speaker  who  appears  at  the  beginning 
of  this  chapter  and  the  next.  The  reference  in  the  last  clause 
is  no  doubt  to  the  sacerdotal  mitre,  which  was  probably  re- 
garded as  a  model  of  ornamental  head-dress,  and  to  which  the 
Hebrew  word  is  explicitly  applied  (Ex.  39  :  28.  Ez.  44  :  18). 
Salvation  and  righteousness  are  here  combined,  as  often  else- 
where, to  denote  the  cause  and  the  effect,  the  justice  of  God 
as  displayed  in  the  salvation  of  his  people.  (See  v.  8,  above.) 
Or  righteousness  may  be  referred  to  the  people,  as  denoting 
the  practical  justification  afforded  by  their  signal  deliverance 
from  suffering. 

1 1.  For  as  the  earth  puts  forth  its  growth,  and  as  the  garden 
makes  its  plants  to  grow,  so  shall  the  Lord  Jehovah  make  to  grow 
righteousness  and  praise  before  all  the  nations.  Compare  ch, 
45  :  8  and  Ps.  85  :  11,  12.     The  exact  construction  of  the  first 


CHAPTER   LXII.  381 

clause  may  be,  ZiA'e  the  earth  {ivhich)  puts  forth ;  or  the  idiom 
may  resemble  that  in  vulgar  English  which  employs  uLe  as  a 
conjuuctiou  uo  less  than  a  preposition,  ///.;:'  the  earth  puts  forth. 
By  praise  we  are  to  understand  the  manifestation  of  exc  11-  nee 
in  general,  by  righteousness  that  of  moral  excellence  in  par- 
ticular. There  is  nothing  either  in  the  text  or  context  to 
restrict  this  verse  to  the  former  restoration  of  the  Jews  from 
the  Babylonian  exile,  any  more  than  to  their  future  restoration 
to  the  Holy  Land.  The  glory  of  the  promise  is  its  univer- 
sality, in  which  the  fulfilment  will  no  doubt  be  coextensive 
with  the  prophecy  itself 


CHAPTER    LXII. 

The  words  of  the  great  Deliverer  are  continued  from  the 
foregoing  chapter.  He  will  not  rest  until  the  glorious  change 
in  the  condition  of  his  people  is  accomplished,  v.  1.  They 
shall  be  recognized  by  kings  and  nations  as  the  people  of  Je- 
hovah, vs.  2,  3.  She  who  seemed  to  be  forsaken  is  still  his 
spouse,  vs.  4.  5.  The  church  is  required  to  watch  and  pray 
for  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise,  vs.  6,  7.  God  has  sworn  to 
protect  her  and  supply  her  wants,  vs.  8,  9.  Instead  of  a 
single  nation,  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  shall  flow  unto  her, 
V.  10.  The  good  news  of  salvation  shall  no  longer  be  confined, 
but  universally  diflused,  v.  11.  The  glory  of  the  church  is 
the  redemption  of  the  world,  v.  12. 

1.  For  Zion^s  sake  I  will  7iot  be  still,  and  for  Jerusalem's  sake 
I  will  not  rest,  until  her  righteousness  go  forth  as  brightness,  and 
her  salvation  as  a  lamp  {that)  burneth.     It  has   been  disputed 


382  CHAPTER   LXII. 

whether  these  are  the  words  of  the  Messiah  or  the  Prophet, 
who  frequently  assumes  the  person  and  expresses  the  feelings 
of  different  characters  in  this  great  drama,  without  any  ex- 
press intimation  of  the  change  in  the  text  itself  Perhaps 
the  most  satisfactory  conclusion  is,  that  if  the  Prophet  here 
speaks  of  himself,  he  also  speaks  by  implication  of  his  asso- 
ciates and  successors  in  the  office,  not  excluding  Christ  as  the 
last  and  greatest  of  the  series ;  so  that  both  exegetical  hy- 
potheses may  in  this  way  be  combined  and  reconciled.  If  an 
exclusive  subject  must  be  chosen,  it  is  no  doubt  the  same  as 
in  the  first  verse  of  the  foregoing  chapter.  The  sense  of 
righteousness  and  salvation  is  the  same  as  in  ch.  61  ;  10  and 
elsewhere.  The  going  forth  here  mentioned  is  the  same  as  in 
Ps.  19:6,  and  brightness  may  specifically  signify  the  dawn 
of  day  or  the  rising  of  the  sun.  as  in  Prov.  4:18. 

2.  And  nations  skall  see  thy  righteousness^  and  all  kings  thy 
glory  ;  and  there  shall  be  called  to  thee  a  new  vmme,  tvhich  the 
mouth  of  Jehovah  shall  utter  (or  pronounce  distinctly).  The 
mention  of  kings  is  intended  to  imply  the  submission  even  of 
the  highest  ranks  to  this  new  power.  (Compare  ch.  49  :  7,  23. 
52  :  15.)  The  idea  evidently  is  that  they  shall  witness  it  and 
stand  astonished.  The  neio  name  may  be  that  which  is  after- 
wards stated  in  v.  4,  or  the  expression  may  be  understood  more 
generally  as  denoting  change  of  condition  for  the  better.  (See 
above,  ch.  1  :  26.  60  :  14,  and  compare  Jer.  3  :  16.  33  :  16. 
Ezek.  48  :  35.  Rev.  2:17.  3  :  12.)  Some  suppose  an  allusion 
to  the  change  in  the  name  of  the  chosen  people  from  Jew  to 
Christian  ;  but  the  former  name  is  still  applied  to  the  spiritual 
Israel,  in  Rom.  2  :  29  and  Rev.  2  :  9.  (See  below,  on  ch.  65  : 
15.)  Others  suppose  an  allusion  to  the  ancient  practice  of 
imposing  new  names  upon  towns  which  have  been  ruined  and 
rebuilt. 


CHAPTER  LXII.  383 

3.  And  thou  shall  be  a  crown  of  beauty  in  Jehovah'' s  hand^  and 
a  diadem  of  royalty  in  the  pahi  of  thy  God.  The  only  diffi- 
culty in  this  verse  has  respect  to  the  crown's  being  twice  em- 
phatically placed  in  the  hand  and  not  upon  the  head.  Some 
suppose  that  Jehovah  is  here  represented  as  holding  the 
crown  in  his  hand  to  admire  it ;  or  for  the  purpose  of  exhibit- 
ing it  to  others ;  or  for  that  of  crowning  himself  Others  take 
in  the  hand  of  God  to  mean  at  his  disposal,  or  bestowed  by 
him.  This  is  a  good  sense  in  itself ;  but  upon  whom  could 
Zion  or  Jerusalem  be  thus  bestowed?  Others  again  think 
it  obvious  that  as  it  would  be  incongruous  to  place  the 
crown  upon  Jehovah's  head  ;  the  only  place  remaining  was 
the  hand. 

'  4.  ]Vo  more  shall  it  be  called,  to  thee  (shalt  thou  be  called) 
Azubah  [Forsaken)^  and  thy  land  shall  ?io  more  be  called  Shevia- 
mah  [Desolate)  ;  but  thou,  shalt  be  called  Uephzibah  (My  delight  is 
in  her),  and  thy  land  Beulah  [Married),  for  JeJ/ovah  delights  in 
thee,  and  thy  land  shall  be  married.  The  joyful  change  of  con- 
dition is  further  expressed,  in  the  Prophet's  favourite  manner, 
by  significant  names.  The  common  version  not  only  mars  the 
beauty  of  the  passage,  but  renders  it  in  some  degree  unintel- 
ligible to  the  English  reader,  by  translating  the  first  two 
names  and  retaining  the  others  in  their  Hebrew  dress.  It  is 
obvious  that  all  four  should  be  treated  alike,  i.  e  that  all  the 
Hebrew  forms  should  be  retained  or  none.  It  is  probable  that 
they  were  all  familiar  to  the  Jews  as  female  names  in  real  life. 
This  we  know  to  have  been  the  case  with  two  of  them :  the 
mother  of  Jehoshaphat  was  named  Azubah  (1  Kings  22  :  42), 
and  Manasseh's  mother  Hephzibah  (2  Kings  21:  1).  It  is 
better  therefore  to  retain  the  Hebrew  forms,  in  order  to  give 
them  an  air  of  reality  as  proper  names,  and  at  the  same  time 
to  render  them  intelligible  by  translation.  In  the  last  clause 
there  is  reference  to  the  primary  meaning  of  the  verb,  viz.  that 


384  CHAPTER    LXII. 

of  owning  or  possessing- ;  and  as  the  inhabitants  of  towns  are 
sometimes  called  in  Hebrew  their  possessors,  Di^sn,  a  noun  de- 
rived from  this  very  verb  (Josh.  24  :  11.  Judg.  9:2.  2  !-am. 
21  .  12  compared  with  2  Sam.  2  :  4),  its  use  here  would  sug- 
gest, as  at  least  one  meaning  of  the  promise,  thy  land  shall  be 
inhabited. 

5.  JFor  (as)  a  young  man  marrieth  a  virgin,  (so)  shall  Ihy  sons 
marry  thee,  and  (with)  the  joy  of  a  bridegroom  over  a  bride  shall 
thy  God  rejoice  over  thee.  The  particles  of  comparison  are 
omitted,  or  perhaps  it  would  be  more  correct  to  say  that  the 
comparison  is  only  an  implied  one,  and  that  the  strict  transla- 
tion is,  '  a  young  man  marrieth  a  virgin,  thy  sons  shall  marry 
thee,'  leaving  the  copula  and  so  to  be  suggested  by  the  con- 
text. So  in  the  other  clause  there  is  no  absolute  need  of  as- 
suming an  ellipsis  ;  since  the  Hebrew  idiom  admits  of  such  ex- 
pressions as  joying  the  joy  of  a  bridegroom,  just  as  we  may 
say  in  English  a  man  lives  the  life  of  a  saint,  or  dies  the  death  of 
the  righteous,  both  which  combinations  occur  in  our  translation 
of  the  Bible.     (Gal.  2  :  20.   Num.  23  :  10.) 

6,  7.  On  thy  walls,  oh  Jerusalem,  I  have  set  watchmen ;  all  the 
day  and  all  the  night  long  they  shall  not  be  silent.  Ye  that  re- 
mind Jehovah,  let  there  be  no  rest  to  you,  and  give  no  rest  to  him, 
until  he  establish  and  until  he  place  Jerusalem  a  fraise  in  the  earth. 
The  promise  is  a  general  one,  or  rather  the  command  that 
those  who  are  constituted  guardians  of  the  church  should  be 
importunate  in  prayer  to  God  on  her  behalf  Di-i''3T52ri  ad- 
mits of  three  interpretations,  all  consistent  with  Isaiah's  usage. 
In  ch.  36  :  3,  22  it  seems  to  mean  an  official  recorder  or  histo- 
riographer. In  ch.  66  :  3  it  means  one  burning  incense  as  a 
memorial  oblation.  Hence  tr^STX  the  name  used  in  the  law  of 
Moses  to  denote  such  an  offering.  (See  Lev.  2:2.  5  :  12.  24: 
7.  Num.  5  :  26.)     In  ch.  43  :  26  the  verb  means  to  remind  God 


CHAPTER    LXII.  385 

of  something  which  he  seems  to  have  forgotten  ;  and  as  this  is 
an  appropriate  description  of  importunate  intercession,  it  is 
here  entitled  to  the  preference. 

8.  Sworn  hath  Jehovah  by  his  right  hand  and  by  his  arm  of 
stroiglh,  If  I  give  thy  corn  any  more  as  food  to  thine  enemies^ 
and  if  the  sons  of  the  outland  shall  drink  thy  new  wine  ichich 
thou  hast  laboured  in^  (I  am  not  God).  On  the  elliptical  formula 
of  swearing,  see  above,  on  ch.  22  :  14.  The  declaration  though 
conditional  in  form  is  in  fact  an  absolute  negation.  In  swear- 
ing by  his  hand  and  arm,  the  usual  symbols  of  strength,  he 
pledges  his  omnipotence  for  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise.  '  As 
sure  as  I  am  almighty,  thou  shalt  suffer  this  no  more.' 

9.-  For  those  gathering  it  shall  eat  it  and  shall  praise  Jehovah, 
and  those  collecting  it  shall  drink  it  in  my  holy  courts  (or  in  the 
courts  of  my  sanctuary).  That  these  are  but  types  and  emblems 
of  abundance,  and  security,  and  liberty  of  worship,  is  acknowl- 
edged even  by  that  school  of  interpreters  supposed  to  be  most 
strenuous  in  favour  of  attaching  to  these  promises  their  strict- 
est sense. 

10.  Pass,  pass  through  the  gates,  clear  the  way  of  the  people, 
raise  high,  raise  high  the  highway,  free  [it)  from  stones,  raise  a 
banner  (or  a  signal)  ocer  the  nations.  The  analogy  of  ch.  57  :  14 
makes  it  probable  that  what  is  here  described  is  the  entrance  of 
the  nations  into  Zion  or  the  church,  an  event  so  frequently  and 
fully  set  forth  in  the  preceding  chapters.  The  gates  are  the  gates 
of  the  ideal  Zion  or  Jerusalem,  the  passage  is  an  inward  not  an 
outward  passage,  and  the  exhortation  of  the  text  is  one  to  all 
concerned,  or  all  who  have  the  opportunity,  to  take  away  ob- 
structions and  facilitate  their  entrance. 

1 1 .  Behold,  Jehovah  has  caused  it  to  be  heard  to  the  end  of  t/ie 
VOL.   II. — 17 


386  CHAPTER    LXI I. 

earthy  Say  ye  to  the  daughter  of  Zion,  behold,  thy  sahation 
Cometh  ;  behold,  his  reward  is  with  him  and  his  hire  before  him. 
There  is  some  doubt  as  to  the  connection  of  the  clauses.  It 
may  be  questioned  whether  the  verse  contains  the  words  ut- 
tered by  Jehovah  to  the  end  of  the  earth,  and  if  so,  whether 
these  continue  to  the  end  of  the  verse,  or  only  to  the  third  kc- 
hold.  But  the  plain  sense  of  the  words,  the  context  here,  and 
the  analogy  of  ch.  40  :  10,  are  all  completely  satisfied  by  the 
hypothesis  that  the  Messiah  (or  Jehovah)  is  here  described  as 
coming  to  his  people,  bringing  with  him  a  vast  multitude  of 
strangers  or  new  converts,  the  reward  of  his  own  labours,  and 
at  the  same  time  the  occasion  of  a  vast  enlargement  to  his 
church.  At  the  same  time,  let  it  be  observed  that  this  hypoth- 
esis is  not  one  framed  for  the  occasion,  without  reference  or 
even  in  opposition  to  the  previous  explanation  of  passages  in 
every  point  resembling  this,  but  one  suggested  at  the  outset  of 
the  book,  and  found  iipon  comparison,  at  every  step  of  the  in- 
terpretation, to  be  more  satislactory  than  any  other. 

12.  And  they  shall  call  them  the  Holy  People,  the  redeevied  of 
Jehovah,  and  thou  shalt  be  called  Derushah  (sought  for)^  Ir-lo- 
neezabah  {City  not  forsaken).  The  first  verb  is  indefinite,  they 
(i.  e.  men)  shall  call ;  hence  the  parallel  expression  has  the 
passive  form.  The  distinction  here  so  clearly  made  by  the 
use  of  the  second  and  third  pei'sous,  is  supposed  by  the  modern 
Germans  to  ba  that  between  the  city  and  her  returning  citi- 
zens ;  but  this,  as  we  have  seen  repeatedly  before,  involves  a 
constant  vacillation  between  different  senses  of  Jerusalem  and 
Zion  in  the  foregoing  context.  The  only  supposition  which 
can  be  consistently  maintained,  is  that  it  always  means  the 
city,  but  the  city  considered  merely  as  a  representative  or  sign 
of  the  whole  system  and  economy,  of  which  it  was  the  visible 
centre.  The  true  distinction  is  between  the  church  or  chosen 
people  as  it  is,  and  the  vast  accessions  yet  to  be  received  from 


CHAPTER    LX I II.  387 

the  world  around  it.  Even  the  latter  shall  be  honoured  with 
the  name  of  Holy  People,  while  the  church  itself,  becoming 
coextensive  with  the  world,  shall  cease  to  be  an  object  of  con- 
tempt or  disregard  to  God  or  man.  The  sense  of  sought  for 
seems  to  be  determined  by  the  parallel  description  in  Jer, 
30:  14,  as  expressing  the  opposite  of  the  complaint  in  ch. 
49:  14. 


CHAPTER    LXIII. 

The  influx  of  the  gentiles  into  Zion  having  been  described 
in  the  preceding  verses,  the  destruction  of  her  enemies  is  now 
sublimely  represented  as  a  sanguinary  triumph  of  Jehovah  or 
the  Messiah,  vs.  1-6.  The  Prophet  then  supposes  the  catas- 
trophe already  past,  and  takes  a  retrospective  view  of  God's 
compassions  towards  his  people,  and  of  their  unfaithfulness 
during  the  old  economy,  vs.  7-14.  He  then  assumes  the  tone 
of  earnest  supplication,  such  as  might  have  been  offered  by 
the  believing  Jews  when  all  seemed  lost  in  the  destruction  of 
their  commonwealth  and  temple,  vs.  15-19. 

1.  Who  {is)  this  coming  from  Edovi^  bright  {cis  to  his)  garments 
from  Bozrah,  this  one  adorned  in  his  apparel^  bending  in  the 
abundance  of  his  strength?  7,  speaking  in  righteousness^  mighty 
to  save.  The  hypothesis  that  this  is  a  detached  prophecy,  un- 
connected with  what  goes  before  or  follows,  is  now  commonly 
abandoned  as  a  mere  evasion.  The  dramatic  form  of  the 
description  is  recognized  by  modern  writers,  but  without 
the  awkward  supposition  of  a  chorus.  It  is  not  necessary 
even  to  introduce    the    people   as   a   party  to   the   dialogue. 


388  CHAPTER    LXIII. 

The  questions  may  be  naturally  put  into  the  mouth  of  the 
Prophet  himself.  Interpreters  are  much  divided  as  to  the 
Edom  of  this  passage.  That  it  is  not  merely  a  play  upon  the 
meaning  of  the  name  (viz.  red),  is  clear  from  the  mention  of 
the  chief  town.  Bozrah.  Most  interpreters,  even  of  the  modern 
German  school,  suppose  Edom  to  be  here,  as  in  ch.  34,  the  rep- 
resentative of  Israel's  most  inveterate  enemies.  The  connec- 
tion with  what  goes  before  is,  that  the  restored  Jews  might 
apprehend  the  enmity  of  certain  neighbouring  nations,  who 
bad  rejoiced  in  their  calamity ;  and  that  the  prophecy  before 
us  was  intended  to  allay  this  apprehension.  Speaking  in 
righleousnrss  is  understood  by  most  of  the  modern  writers  in 
the  sense  of  speaking  about  it  or  concerning  it,  in  which  case 
righteousness  must  have  the  sense  of  deliverance,  or  at  least 
be  regarded  as  its  cause.  It  is  much  more  natural,  however, 
to  explain  the  phrase  as  meaning,  I  that  speak  in  truth,  I  who 
promise  and  am  able  to  perform.  The  terms  of  th's  descrip- 
tion are  applied  in  Rev.  19  :  13  to  the  victorious  Word  of 
God. 

2.  Wh7/  {is  there)  redness  to  thy  raiment,  and  {whi/  are)  thy 
garments  like  {those  of)  one  treading  in  a  tvine-press  ?  The 
adjective  is  here  used  substantively,  just  as  we  speak  of  a  deep 
red  in  English.  Or  the  word  here  employed  may  be  explained 
as  the  infinitive,  to  be  red.  The  allusion  is  of  course  to  the 
natural  red  wine  of  the  east,  that  of  some  vineyards  on  Mount 
Lebanon  being  almost  black.  It  is  a  slight  but  effective  stroke 
in  this  fine  picture,  that  the  first  verse  seems  to  speak  of  the 
stranger  as  still  at  a  distance,  whereas  in  the  second  he  has 
come  so  near  as  to  be  addressed  directly, 

3.  77/1"  press  I  have  trodden  by  myself,  and  of  the  nations  there 
was  not  a  man  with  me  ;  and  I  will  tread  them  in  my  anger  and 
trample  them  in  my  fury,  and  their  juice  shall  spirt  upon  my  gar- 


CHAPTER    LXIIL  389 

mrnts,  and  all  my  vesture  I  have  stained.  The  word  here  used 
for  press  is  different  from  that  in  the  foregoing  verse,  and  oc- 
curs elsewhere  only  in  Hagg-.  2  ;  16.  According  to  its  seem- 
ing derivation,  it  denotes  the  place  where  grapes  are  crushed 
or  broken,  as  the  other  does  the  place  where  they  are  pressed 
or  trodden.  The  comparison  suggested  in  the  question  (v.  2) 
is  here  carried  out  in  detail.  Being  asked  why  he  looks  like 
the  treader  of  a  wine-press,  he  replies  that  he  has  been  tread- 
ing one,  and  that  alone,  which  some  understand  to  mean  with- 
out the  aid  of  labourers  or  servants.  The  meaning  of  the 
figure  is  then  expressed  in  literal  tei-ms.  '  Of  the  nations 
there  was  not  a  man  with  me.'  This  expression  and  the  other- 
wise inexplicable  alternation  of  the  tenses  make  it  probable 
that  two  distinct  treadings  are  here  mentioned,  one  in  which 
he  might  have  expected  aid  from  the  nations,  and  another  in 
which  the  nations  should  themselves  be  trodden  down  as  a 
punishment  of  this  neglect.  Or  the  futures  may  denote, 
merely  a  relative  futurity,  i.  e.  in  reference  to  the  act  first 
mentioned.  The  more  general  opinion  is,  however,  that  but 
one  act  of  treading  is  here  mentioned,  and  that  the  nations 
are  themselves  represented  as  the  grapes.  The  words  u-ith  vie 
are  added  to  convey  the  idea  that  all  the  nations  were  on  the 
adverse  side,  none  on  that  of  the  conqueror.  The  sense  will 
then  be  not  that  they  refused  to  join  in  trampling  others,  but 
simply  that  they  were  among  the  trampled.  As  if  he  had 
said,  I  trod  the  press  alone,  and  all  the  nations,  without  excep- 
tion, were  trodden  in  it.  By  all  the  nations  we  are  of  course 
to  understand  all  but  God's  people.  The  treading  of  the 
wine-press  alone  is  an  expression  often  applied  in  sermons  and 
in  religious  books  and  conversation  to  our  Saviour's  sufferings. 
AYhile  the  impossibility  of  such  a  sense  in  the  original  passage 
cannot  be  too  strongly  stated,  there  is  no  need  of  d.>nying  that 
the  figure  may  be  happily  accommodated  in  the  way  suggested  ; 
as  many  expressions  of  the  Old  Testament  may  be  applied  to 


890  CHAPTER    LXIII. 

different  objects  with  good  effect,  provided  we  are  careful  to 
avoid  confounding  such  accommodations  with  the  strict  and 
primary  import  of  the  passage. 

4.  For  the.  day  of  vengeance  (is)  in  my  hearty  and  the  year  of 
my  redeemed  is  come.  For  the  sense  of  day  and  year  in  this  con- 
nection, see  above,  on  ch.  61  :  2.  In  my  hcart.^  i.  e.  my  mind  or 
purpose.  It  is  not  necessary  to  explain  the  participle  in  a  fu- 
ture sense  {to  be  redeemed^  since  their  redemption  was  as  firmly 
settled  in  the  divine  purpose  as  the  day  of  vengeance. 

5.  And  I  looTc^  and  there  is  none  helping  ;  and  I  stand  aghast.^ 
and  there  is  none  sustaining  ;  and  my  own  arm  saves  for  me.,  and 
my  fury  it  sustains  me.  These  expressions  have  already  been 
explained  in  ch.  59  :  16.  Fury  here  takes  the  place  of  right- 
eousness not  as  a  synonyme  but  as  an  equivalent.  God's 
wrath  is  but  the  executioner  and  agent  of  his  justice.  Upon 
either  he  might  therefore  be  described  as  exclusively  re- 
lying. The  present  form  is  used  in  the  translation,  on  account 
of  the  uncertainty  in  which  the  use  of  the  tenses  is  involved, 
and  which  may  arise  in  part  from  an  intentional  confusion  of 
the  past  and  future  in  the  mind  of  one  who  had  begun  a  great 
work,  and  was  yet  to  finish  it. 

6.  And  I  tread  the  nations  in  my  anger.,  and  I  make  them  drunk 
in  my  wrath,  and  I  bring  down  to  the  earth  their  juice.  The  use 
of  the  word  tread  leads  to  the  resumption  of  the  figure  of  a 
wine-press,  which  is  employed  besides  this  passage  in  Lam. 
1:  15.  Joel  3:13.  Rev.  14  :  19,  20.  In  order  to  connect  the 
common  reading  with  the  context,  we  have  only  to  assume  a 
mixture  of  metaphors,  such  as  we  continually  meet  with  in 
Isaiah,  or  a  sudden  change  of  figure,  which  is  not  only  common 
but  characteristic  of  this  prophet. 


CHAPTER    LXIII.  391 

7.  The  mercies  of  Jehovah  I  tcill  cause  to  be  remembered,  the 
praises  of  Jehovah  according  to  all  that  Jehovah  hath  done  for  us, 
and  the  great  goodness  to  the  house  of  Israel  lohich  he  hath  done  for 
them,  according  to  his  compassions  and  according  to  the  multitude 
of  his  mercies.  The  sudden  change  of  tone  in  this  verse  has 
led  to  many  suppositions  as  to  its  connection  with  what 
goes  before  and  follows.  On  the  general  principle  assumed 
throughout  our  exposition  as  to  the  design  and  subject  of  these 
prophecies,  the  passage  must  be  understood  as  relating  to  the 
favours  experienced  and  the  sins  committed  by  the  chosen  peo- 
ple throughout  the  period  of  the  old  dispensation.  There  is  no 
need  of  assuming  any  speaker  but  the  Prophet  himself.  The 
plural  form  mercies  may  be  intended  to  denote  abundance.  / 
ivill  cause  to  be  remembered,  may  have  reference  to  men  ;  in  which 
case  the  phrase  is  equivalent  to  celebrate,  record,  or  praise. 
But  as  these  acknowledgments  are  merely  preparatory  to  a 
prayer  that  God  would  renew  his  ancient  favours  to  them,  it  is 
better  to  understand  it  as  meaning,  I  will  cause Xxod  himself  to 
remember,  or  remind  him,  in  which  application  the  verb  is  often 
used,  e.  g.  in  the  titles  of  Ps.  38  and  70. 

8.  And  he  said,  Only  they  are  7ny  people,  (my)  children  shall 
not  lie  (or  deceive);  and  he  became  a  saviour  for  them.  To  the  gen- 
eral acknowledgment  of  God's  goodness  to  his  people,  there  is 
now  added  a  specification  of  his  favours,  beginning  with  the 
great  distinguishing  favour  by  which  they  became  what  they 
were.  This  verse  is  commonly  explained  as  an  expression  of 
unfounded  confidence  and  hope  on  God's  part,  surely  they  are 
my  people,  children  that  will  not  lie.  This  must  then  be  account- 
ed for  as  anthropopathy  ;  but  although  the  occurrence  of  this 
figure  in  the  Scriptures  is  indisputable,  it  is  comparatively  rare, 
and  not  to  be  assumed  without  necessity.  Besides,  the  expla- 
nation just  referred  to  rests  almost  entirely  on  the  sense  at- 
tached to  T|Si  as  a  mere  particle  of  asseveration.     Now  in  every 


392  CHAPTER   LXIII. 

other  case  where  Isaiah  uses  it,  the  restrictive  sense  of  only  is 
not  admissible  merely,  but  necessary  to  the  full  force  of  the 
sentence.  It  is  surely  not  the  true  mode  of  interpretation,  to 
assume  a  doubtful  definition  for  the  sake  of  obtaining  an  unsat- 
isfactory and  offensive  sense.  Another  advantage  of  the  strict 
translation  is,  that  it  makes  the  Prophet  go  back  to  the  begin- 
ning of  their  course,  and  instead  of  setting  out  from  the  hopes 
which  God  expressed  after  the  choice  of  Israel,  records  tLe 
choice  itself.  Thus  understood,  the  first  clause  is  a  solemn 
declaration  of  his  having  chosen  Israel,  to  the  exclusion  of  all 
other  nations.  Only  they  (and  no  others)  are  my  peojyle.  The 
second  clause  may  possibly  mean,  {their)  sons  shall  not  deal 
falsely^  i.  e.  degenerate  from  their  fathers'  faith.  In  either 
case,  the  future  is  the  future  of  comman(^  as  in  the  decalogue, 
not  tliat  of  mere  prediction.  The  English  Version,  so  he  was 
their  saviour^  is  a  needless  departure  from  the  simplicity  of  the 
original,  and  aggravates  the  misinterpretation  of  the  first  clause, 
by  suggesting  that  he  was  their  saviour  because  he  believed 
they  would  be  faithful.  The  verse  in  Hebrew  simply  states 
two  facts,  without  intimating  any  causal  relation  between  them. 
He  chose  them  and  he  saved  them. 

9.  In  all  their  enmity  he  ivas  not  an  enemy ^  and  the  angel  of  his 
face  (or  presence)  saved  them,  in  his  love  and  in  his  sparing  mercy 
he  redeemed  them,  and  he  took  them  up  and  carried  them  all  the 
days  of  old.  The  first  clause  is  famous  as  the  subject  of  discord- 
ant and  even  contradictory  interpretations.  These  have  been 
multiplied  by  the  existence  of  a  doubt  as  to  the  text.  The 
Masora  notes  this  as  one  of  fifteen  places  in  which  (sib)  not  is 
written  by  mistake  for  (ib)  to  him  or  it.  Another  instance  of 
the  same  alleged  error  in  the  text  of  Isaiah  occurs  in  eh.  9  :  2  (3.) 
The  English  Version  readers  it,  in  all  their  affticlion  he  was  af- 
flicted. This  explanation,  with  the  text  on  which  it  is  founded, 
and  which  is  exhibited  by  a  number  of  manuscripts  and  edi- 


CHAPTER    LXIII.  393 

tions,  is  favoured,  not  only  by  the  strong  and  affecting  sense 
which  it  yields,  but  by  the  analogy  of  Judges  10:16.  1 1  :  7.  in 
one  of  which  places  the  same  phrase  is  used  to  denote  human 
suffering,  and  in  the  other  God  is  represented  as  sympathizing 
with  it.  The  objections  to  it  are,  that  it  gratuitously  renders 
necessary  another  anthropopathic  explanation  ;  that  the  natu- 
ral collocation  of  the  words,  if  this  were  the  meaning,  would  be 
different ;  that  the  negative  is  expressed  by  all  the  ancient  ver- 
sions ;  and  that  the  critical  presumption  is  in  favour  of  the  tex- 
tual reading,  as  the  more  ancient,  and  it  ought  not  to  be  now 
abandoned,  if  a  coherent  sense  can  be  put  upon  it.  as  it  can  in 
this  case.'  A  much  more  natural  construction  is,  '  in  all  their 
affliction  he  did  not  afflict  (them) ;'  which,  however,  is  scarcely 
reconcilable  with  history.  This  difficulty  is  avoided  by  a  mod- 
ification of  the  same  construction,  i?i  all  their  ajjiictlons  he  tvas 
not  an  adversary^  i  e.  although  he  afflicted  them,  he  did  not 
hate  them.  This  agrees  well  with  what  immediately  follows,  but 
is  still  liable  to  the  objection  that  it  takes  the  same  word  in  two 
entirely  different  senses,  which  can  only  be  admissible  in  case 
of  necessity.  An  interpretation  which  gives  the  words  essen- 
tially the  same  sense,  yet  so  far  modfied  as  to  explain  the  dif- 
ference of  form,  is  that  which  takes  the  words  as  correlative 
derivatives  from  one  sense  of  the  same  root,  but  distinguished 
from  each  other  as  an  abstract  and  a  concrete,  enemy  and  en- 
mity. A  real  difficulty  in  the  way  of  this  interpretation  is  the 
want  of  any  usage  to  sustain  the  latter  definition,  which,  how- 
ever, is  so  easily  deducible  from  the  primary  meaning,  and  so 
clearly  indicated  by  the  parallel  expression,  that  it  may  per- 
haps be  properly  assumed  in  a  case  where  the  only  choice  is  one 
of  difficulties.  Thus  understood,  the  clause  simply  throws  the 
blame  of  all  their  conflicts  with  Jehovah  on  themselves  :  in  all 
their  enmity  (to  him)  he  %oas  not  an  enemy  (to  them).  The  proof 
of  this  assertion  is  that  he  saved  them,  not  from  Egypt  merely, 
but  from  all  their  early  troubles,  with  particular  reference  per- 

17* 


394  CHAPTER   LXIII. 

haps  to  the  period  of  the  Judges,  in  the  history  of  which  this 
verb  very  frequently  occurs.  (See  Judges  2:  16,  18.  3:  15. 
6:14.  etc.)  This  salvation  is  ascribed,  however,  not  directly 
to  Jehovah,  but  to  the  angel  of  his  face  or  presence^  whom  Jeho- 
vah promised  to  send  with  Israel  (Ex.  23  :  20-23),  and  whom 
he  did  send,  and  who  is  identified  with  the  presence  of  Jehovah, 
and  with  Jehovah  himself  The  combination  of  these  passages 
determines  the  sense  oi  the  angel  of  Ids  presence,  as  denoting  the 
angel  whose  presence  was  the  presence  of  Jehovah,  or  in  whom 
Jehovah  was  personally  present,  and  pi-ecludes  the  explanation 
given  by  many  writers,  who  suppose  it  to  mean  merely  an  angel 
who  habitually  stands  in  the  presence  of  Jehovah  ( I  Kings 
22 :  19),  just  as  human  courtiers  or  ofl&cers  of  state  are  said  to 
see  the  king's  face  (Jer.  52  :  25).  The  old  Christian  doctrine 
is  that  the  Angel  of  God's  presence,  who  is  mentioned  in  the 
passages  already  cited,  and  from  time  to  time  in  other  books  of 
the  Old  Testament  (Gen.  28  :  13.  31  :  1 1.  48  :  16.  Ex.  3  :  2. 
Josh.  5  :  14.  Judges  13  :  6.  Hos.  12  :  5.  Zeeh.  3  :  1.  Mai.  3  :  1. 
Ps.  34  ;  8),  was  that  Divine  being  who  is  represented  in  the 
New  as  the  brightness  of  the  Father's  glory  and  the  express  im- 
age of  his  person  (Heb.  1  :  3),  the  image  of  God  (2  Cor.  4  :  4. 
Col.  1:15),  in  whose  face  the  glory  of  God  shines  (2  Cor.  4  :  6), 
and  in  whom  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily 
(Col.  2  :  9).  For  the  true  sense  of  what  follows,  as  to  taking 
up  and  carrying  them,  see  above,  on  ch.  46  :  3.  The  verb  re- 
deem is  not  only  one  of  frequent  occurrence  in  these  prophecies, 
(ch.  43  :  1.  44  :  22,  23.  48  :  20.  49  :  7.  etc.),  but  is  expressly  ap- 
plied elsewhere  to  the  redemption  of  Israel  from  Egypt  (Ex. 
6  :  5.  Ps.  74  :  2.  77  :  16),  and  is  therefore  applicable  to  all  other 
analogous  deliverances. 

10.  And  they  rebelled  and  grieved  his  holy  spirit  (or  spirit  of 
holiness),  and  he  icas  turned  for  them  into  an  enemy,  he  himself 
fought  against  them.     The  pronoun  at  the  beginning  is  em- 


CHAPTER    LXIII.  395 

phatic  :  they  on  their  part,  as  opposed  to  God's  forbearance  and 
long-suffering.  There  seems  to  be  an  allusion  in  this  clause  to 
the  injunction  given  to  the  people  at  the  exodus,  in  reference  to 
the  Angel  who  was  to  conduct  them  :  Beware  of  him  and  obey 
his  voice,  provoke  him  not,  for  he  will  not  pardon  your  ti-ans- 
gressions,  for  my  name  is  in  him  (Ex  23  :  21).  That  the  Spirit 
of  this  verse,  like  the  Angel  of  the  ninth,  is  represented  as 
divine,  is  evident  not  only  from  a  comparison  of  Ps  78  :  17,  40, 
where  the  same  thing  is  said  of  God  himself,  but  also  from  the 
fact  that  those  interpreters  who  will  not  recognize  a  personal 
spirit  in  this  passage,  unanimously  understand  the  spirit  either 
as  denoting  an  attribute  of  God  or  God  himself  This  passage 
is  in  some  sort  historical,  and  shows  the  progress  of  the  aliena- 
tion between  God  and  Israel.  Having  shown  in  the  preceding 
verse  that  it  began  upon  the  part  of  Israel,  and  was  long  resisted 
and  deferred  by  Jehovah,  he  now  shows  how  at  length  his 
patience  was  exhausted,  and  he  really  became  what  he  was  not 
before.  The  disputes  among  interpreters  wl^ther  this  verse 
has  reference  to  the  conduct  of  the  people  in  the  wilderness,  or 
under  the  Judges,  or  before  the  Babylonish  exile,  or  before  the 
final  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  are  only  useful  as  a  demonstra- 
tion that  the  passage  is  a  general  description,  which  was  often 
verified.  From  this  verse  Paul  has  borrowed  a  remarkable 
expression  in  Eph.  4  :  30.  (Compare  Matt.  12;  31.  Acts  7:51. 
Heb.  10  :  29.) 

1 1 .  And  he  remenioered  the  days  of  old,  Moses  {and)  his  people. 
Where  is  he  that  brought  them  up  from  the  sea,  the  shepherd  of  his 
Jiockl  Where  is  he  that  put  icithin  him  his  Hohj  Spirit.  Some 
make  Jehovah  the  subject  of  the  first  verb,  and  suppose  him  to 
be  here  described  as  relenting.  But  as  the  following  can  be 
naturally  understood  only  as  the  language  of  the  people,  espe- 
cially when  compared  with  Jer.  2  ;  6,  most  writers  are  agreed 
in  referring  this  clause  to  the  people  also.     The  Targum  gives 


396  CHAPTER   L  XIII. 

a  singular  turn  to  the  sentence  by  supplying  lest  they  smj  before 
the  second  clause,  which  then  becomes  the  language  of  the 
enemies  of  Israel,  exulting  in  the  failure  of  Jehovah's  promises. 
This  explanation  may  appear  to  derive  some  support  from,  the 
analogy  of  Deut.  32  :  17,  which  no  doubt  suggested  it;  but  a 
fatal  objection  is  that  the  essential  idea  is  one  not  expressed  but 
arbitrarily  supplied.  Another  singular  interpretation  is  the 
one  contained  in  the  Dutch  Bible,  which  makes  God  the  subject 
of  the  first  verb  but  includes  it  in  the  language  of  the  people, 
complaining  that  he  dealt  with  them  no  longer  as  he  once  did : 
Once  he  remembered  the  days  of  old,  etc.,  but  now  where  is  he,  etc. 
But  here  again  that  on  which  the  whole  depends  must  be  sup- 
plied without  authority.  The  latest  writers  are  agreed  that  the 
first  clause  describes  the  repentance  of  the  people,  and  that  the 
second  gives  their  very  words,  contrasting  their  actual  condition 
with  their  former  privileges  and  enjoyments.  The  English 
Bible  makes  Moses  and  his  people  correlatives,  as  objects  of  the 
verb  remembered :  He  remembered  the  ancient  days,  viz.  those 
of  Moses  and  his  people.  The  simplest  construction  of  the 
next  clause  is,  where  is  he  that  brought  them  up  from  the  sea, 
(that  brought  up)  the  shepherd  of  his  flock?  The  him  in  the  last 
clause  refers  to  people.  The  clause  implies,  if  it  does  not  ex- 
press directly,  the  idea  of  a  personal  spirit,  as  in  the  preceding 
verse. 

12.  Leaditiff  them  by  the  right  hand  of  Moses  [and)  his  glorious 
arm.,  cleaving  the  waters  from  before  them.,  to  make  for  him  an  ever- 
lasting name?  The  sentence  and  the  interrogation  are  con- 
tinued from  the  foregoing  verse.  The  participle  with  the  article 
there  defines  or  designates  the  subject  as  the  one  bringing  up  ; 
the  participle  here  without  the  article  simply  continues  the 
description.  The  right  hand  may  be  mentioned  in  allusion  to 
the  wielding  of  the  rod  by  Moses,  and  the  glorious  arm  may  be 
either  his  or  that  of  God  himself,  which  last  sense  is  expressed 


CHAPTER    LXIIL  397 

in  the  English  version  by  a  change  of  preposition  [by  the  right 
hand  of  Moses  with  his  glorious  arm).  The  same  ambiguity 
exists  in  the  last  clause,  where  the  everlasting  name  may  be  the 
honour  put  upon  Moses  or  the  glory  which  redounded  to  Jeho- 
vah himself,  as  in  oh.  55  :  13. 

13.  Making  them  walk  in  the  depths,  like  the  horse  in  the  desert 
they  shall  not  stumble.  The  description  of  the  exodus  is  still 
continued,  and  its  perfect  security  illustrated  by  comparisons. 
The  desert  seems  to  be  referred  to  as  a  vast  plain  free  from 
inequalities.  The  last  verb  would  seem  most  naturally  to 
refer  to  the  horse  ;  but  its  plural  foim  forbids  this  construc- 
tion, while  its  future  form  creates  a  difficulty  in  referring 
it  to  Israel.  The  true  solution  is  afforded  by  the  writer's 
frequent  habit  of  assuming  his  position  in  the  midst  of  the 
events  which  he  describes,  and  speaking  of  them  as  he  would 
have  spoken  if  he  had  been  really  so  situated.  The  compari- 
son in  the  first  clause  brings  up  to  his  view  the  people  actually 
passing  through  the  wilderness  ;  and  in  his  confident  assurance 
of  their  safe  and  easy  progress  he  exclaims,  'they  will  not 
stumble  !'  The  same  explanation  is  admissible  in  many  cases 
where  it  is  customary  to  confound  the  tenses,  or  regard  their 
use  as  perfectly  capricious. 

14.  As  the  herd  into  the  valley  lo ill  go  down,  the  Spirit  of  Jeho- 
vah will  make  him  rest.  So  didst  thou  lead  thy  people,  to  make 
for  thyself  a  name  of  glory.  This  version  is  not  only  more  ex- 
act than  the  common  one,  but  removes  the  ambiguity  in  the 
construction,  by  precluding  the  reference  of  him,  in  make  him 
rest,  to  the  preceding  noun,  which  is  natural  enough  in  the  Eng- 
lish Version,  though  forbidden  in  Hebrew  by  the  difference  of 
gender.  The  him  really  refers  to  Israel  or  the  people.  A  similar 
agency  is  elsewhere  ascribed  to  the  Spirit  of  God.  (Ps  143  : 
10.  Hagg.  2  :  5.  Neh.  9  :  20.)     The  use  of  the  futures  in  this 


398  CHAPTER    LXIII. 

clause  is  precisely  the  same  as  in  the  foregoing  verse.  In 
the  last  clause  the  Prophet  ceases  to  regard  the  scene  as  actu- 
ally present  and  resumes  the  tone  of  historical  retrospection, 
at  the  same  time  summing  up  the  whole  in  one  comprehensive 
proposition,  thus  didst  thou  lead  thy  people.  With  the  last  words 
of  the  verse  compare  ch.  60  :  21.  61  :  3. 

15.  Look  {doion)  from  heaven  and  see  from  thy  dwelling-'place 
of  holiness  and  beauty  !  Where  is  thy  zeal  and  thy  might  (or 
mighty  deeds)  ?  The  sounding  of  thy  bowels  and  thy  mercies  to- 
wards me  have  ioithdrmv?i  themselves.  The  foregoing  description 
of  God's  ancient  favours  is  now  made  the  ground  of  an  impor- 
tunate appeal  for  new  ones.  The  unusual  word  for  dwelling- 
place  is  borrowed  from  the  prayer  of  Solomon  (1  Kings  8  : 
13  )  For  a  similar  description  of  heaven,  see  above,  ch.  57  : 
15.  God  is  here  represented  as  withdrawn  into  heaven  and  no 
longer  active  upon  earth.  For  the  meaning  of  his  zeal.,  see 
above,  on  ch.  59  :  17.  Bowels  and  mercies.  Although  we  are 
obliged  to  render  one  of  these  nouns  by  a  literal  and  the  other 
by  a  figurative  term,  both  of  them  properly  denote  the  viscera, 
on  the  figurative  use  of  which  to  signify  strong  feeling,  see  above, 
on  ch.  16:11.  The  last  verb  in  the  verse  denotes  a  violent 
suppression  or  restraint  of  strong  emotion  (Gen.  43  :  30.  45  : 
1),  and  is  sometimes  applied  directly  to  God  himself  (See 
above,  ch.  42  :  14,  and  below,  ch.  64  :  11  )  The  last  clause 
may  be  variously  divided  without  a  material  change  of  mean- 
ing. The  English  Version  makes  the  last  verb  a  distinct  in- 
terrogation, are  they  restrained?  Tho  objection  to  this  is  that 
the  second  question  is  not  natural,  and  that  it  arbitrarily  as- 
sumes an  interrogative  construction  without  anything  to  indi- 
cate it,  as  the  ivhere  cannot  be  repeated.  The  best  construction 
is  that  which  makes  the  last  clause  a  simple  affirmation,  or 
at  most  an  impassioned  exclamation. 


CHAPTER    LXIII.  399 

16,  For  thou  (art)  our  father ;  for  Abraham  hath  not  knoiim  us, 
and  Israel  will  not  recognize  us;  thou  Jehovah  [art)  our  father,  our 
redeemer  of  old  {ov  from  everlasting)  is  thy  name.  The  common 
version  needlessly  obscures  the  sense  and  violates  the  usage  of 
the  language  by  rendering  the  first  '^3  doubtless,  and  the  second 
though.  Why  do  we  ask  thee  to  look  down  from  heaven  and  to 
hear  our  prayer  ?  Because  thou  art  our  father.  This  does  not 
merely  mean  our  natural  creator,  but  our  founder,  our  national 
progenitor,  as  in  Deut.  32  :  6.  Here,  however,  it  appears  to  be 
employed  in  an  emphatic  and  exclusive  sense,  as  if  he  had 
said,  '  thou  and  thou  alone  art  our  father  ;'  for  he  immediately 
adds,  as  if  to  explain  and  justify  this  strange  assertion,  'for 
Abraham  has  not  known  us,  and  Israel  will  not  recognize  or 
acknowledge  us.'  The  assimilation  of  these  tenses,  as  if  both 
past  or  future,  is  entirely  arbitrary  ;  and  their  explanation  as 
both  present  is  a  gratuitous  evasion.  As  in  many  other  cases, 
past  and  future  are  here  joined  to  make  the  proposition  univer- 
sal. Dropping  the  peculiar  parallel  construction,  the  sense  is 
that  neither  Abraham  nor  Israel  have  known  or  will  know  any 
thing  about  us,  have  recognized  or  will  hereafter  recognize  us 
as  their  children.  The  church  or  chosen  people,  although  once, 
for  temporary  reasons,  co-extensive  and  coincident  with  a  single 
race,  is  not  essentially  a  national  organization,  but  a  spiritual 
body.  Its  father  is  not  Abraham  or  Israel,  but  Jehovah,  who 
is  and  always  has  been  its  Redeemer,  who  has  borne  that  name 
from  everlasting.  According  to  the  explanation  which  has  now 
been  given,  this  verse  explicitly  asserts  what  is  implied  and  in- 
directly taught  throughout  these  prophecies,  in  reference  to  the 
true  design  and  mission  of  the  Church,  and  its  relation  to  Je- 
hovah, to  the  world,  and  to  the  single  race  with  which  of  old  it 
seemed  to  be  identified.  This  confirmation  of  our  previous 
conclusions  is  the  more  satisfactory,  because  no  use  has  hitherto 
been  made  of  it,  by  anticipation,  in  determining  the  sense  of 
many  more  obscure  expressions,  to  which  it  may  now  be  con- 


400  CHAPTER   LXIII. 

sidered  as  affording  a  decisive  key.  It  only  remains  to  add, 
as  a  preventive  of  misapprehension,  that  the  strong  terms  of 
this  verse  are  of  course  to  be  comparatively  understood,  not  as 
implying  that  the  church  will  ever  have  occasion  to  repudiate 
its  historical  relation  to  the  patriarchs,  or  cease  to  include 
among  its  members  many  of  their  natural  descendants,  but 
simply  as  denying  all  continued  or  perpetual  pre  eminence  to 
Israel  as  a  race,  and  exalting  the  common  relation  of  believers 
to  their  great  Head  as  paramount  to  all  connection  with  par- 
ticular progenitors — the  very  doctrine  so  repeatedly  and  em- 
phatically taught  in  the  New  Testament. 

1 7.  Whj/  wilt  thou  make  us  wander ^  oh  Jehovah,  from  thy  ways  ; 
{why)  wilt  thou  harden  our  heart  from  thy  fear  ?  Return,  for  the 
sake  of  thy  servants,  the  tribes  of  thy  inheritance.  The  earnestness 
of  the  prayer  is  evinced  by  an  increasing  boldness  of  expostula- 
tion. The  particle  in  from  thy  fear  is  commonly  supposed  to 
have  a  privative  or  negative  meaning,  so  as  not  to  fear  thee ; 
but  there  is  rather  an  allusion  to  the  wandering  just  before 
mentioned,  as  if  he  had  said,  '  and  why  wilt  thou  make  us  to 
wander,  by  hardening  our  heart,  from  thy  fear?'  This  last 
expression,  as  in  many  other  cases,  includes  all  the  duties  and 
affections  of  true  piety.  For  the  sense  of  God's  returning  to 
his  people,  see  above,  on  eh.  52  :  8.  The  tribes  of  thine  inheritance 
is  an  equivalent  expression  to  thy  people,  which  originated  in 
the  fact  that  Israel,  like  other  ancient  oriental  races,  was  divided 
into  tribes. 

18.  For  a  little  thy  holy  people  possessed,  our  enemies  trod  dotvn 
thy  sanctuary.  The  sense  of  this  verse  is  extremely  dubious. 
The  modern  writers  are  agreed  in  making  holy  p-vple  the  subject 
of  the  verb,  and  supplying  the  object  from  the  other  clause,  thy 
satictuary.  According  to  the  usual  construction  of  the  sentence, 
it  assigns  as  a  reason  for  Jehovah's  interference,  the  short  time 


CHAPTER    LXIII.  401 

during  which  the  chosen  people  had  possessed  the  land  of 
promise.  It  is  agreed  that  the  verse  describes  a  subjection  to 
enemies.  The  question  is  whether  this  subjection  is  itself  de- 
scribed as  temporary,  or  the  peaceable  possession  which  pre- 
ceded it.  In  no  case  can  an  argument  be  drawn  from  it  to 
prove  that  this  whole  passage  has  respect  to  the  Jews  in  their 
present  dispersion  :  first,  because  the  sufi"erings  of  the  church  in 
after  ages  are  frequently  presented  under  figures  drawn  from 
the  peculiar  institutions  of  the  old  economy ;  and  secondly,  be- 
cause the  early  history  of  Israel  is  as  much  the  early  history  of 
the  Christian  church  as  of  the  Jewish  nation,  so  that  we  have 
as  much  right  as  the  Jews  to  lament  the  profanation  of  the 
Holy  Land,  and  more  cause  to  pray  for  its  recovery  by  Christen. 
dom,  than  they  for  its  restoration  to  themselves. 

19.  TVe  are  of  old,  thou  hast  not  ruled  over  them,  thy  name  has 
not  been  called  upon  them.  Oh  that  thou,  wouldst  rend  the  heavens' 
{and)  come  doum,  (that)  from  before  thee  the  mountains  might  quake 
(or  foio  doum).  Most  of  the  modern  writers  have  adopted  a 
construction  of  the  first  clause  suggested  by  the  paraphrastic 
versions  of  the  Septuagint  and  Vulgate.  This  supposes  the 
description  of  the  people's  alienation  from  God  to  be  continued  : 
We  have  long  been  those  (or  like  those)  over  whom  thou  didst 
not  rule,  and  who  were  not  called  by  thy  name ;  that  is  to  say, 
thou  hast  long  regarded  and  treated  us  as  aliens  rather  than 
thy  chosen  people.  But  the  sense  which  it  puts  upon  the 
clause  is  very  far  from  being  obvious,  or  one  which  a  Hebrew 
writer  would  be  likely  to  express  in  this  way.  Another  old  and 
well-known  construction  of  the  clause  is  founded  on  the  Chaldee 
Paraphrase,  which  understands  this  not  as  a  description  of  their 
misery  but  as  an  assertion  of  their  claim  to  relief,  in  the  form  of 
a  comparison  between  themselves  and  their  oppressors.  This  is 
the  sense  given  in  the  English  version  :  TVe  are  thine,  thou  never 
bearest  rule  over  them.     To  this  form  of  the  interpretation  it 


402  CHAPTER    LXIII. 

lias  been  objected,  not  •vvithout  reason,  that  it  puts  upon  the 
verb  we  are  or  have  been  a  sense  not  justified  by  usage,  or  in 
other  words,  that  it  arbitrarily  supplies  the  essential  idea  upon 
which  the  whole  turns,  namely,  thine  or  thy  people.  But  this 
objection  may  be  easily  removed  by  reading  we  are  of  old.  The 
point  of  comparison  is  then  their  relative  antiquity,  the  enemy 
being  represented  as  a  new  race  lately  come  into  possession  of  the 
rights  belonging  to  the  old.  There  is  then  no  need  of  supply- 
ing thine.^  the  relation  of  the  people  to  Jehovah  being  not  particu- 
larly hinted  here,  although  suggested  by  the  whole  connection. 
With  this  modification  the  construction  of  the  English  Bible 
seems  entitled  to  the  preference,  Thou  didst  not  rule  over  them. 
This  has  no  reference,  of  course,  to  God's  providential  govern- 
ment, but  only  to  the  peculiar  theocratical  relation  which  he 
bears  to  his  own  people.  The  same  idea  is  expressed  by  the 
following  words,  as  to  the  sense  of  which  see  above,  on  ch.  48  :  1. 
The  inconvenience  of  strongly  marked  divisions  in  a  book  like 
this,  is  exemplified  by  the  disputes  among  interpreters,  whether 
the  remaining  words  of  this  verse  as  it  stands  in  the  masoretic 
text  should  or  should  not  be  separated  from  it  and  connected 
with  the  following  chapter.  The  truth  is  that  there  ought  to 
be  no  pause  at  all  in  this  place,  the  transition  from  complaint 
to  the  expression  of  an  ardent  wish  being  not  only  intentional 
but  highly  effective.  It  is  true  that  this  clause  ought  not  to  be 
separated  from  what  follows ;  but  it  does  not  follow  that  it 
ought  to  be  severed  from  what  goes  before.  Our  own  exposition 
will  proceed  upon  the  principle  heretofore  applied,  that  this  is 
a  continuous  composition,  that  the  usual  divisions  are  mere 
matters  of  convenience,  or  inconvenience  as  the  case  may  be, 
and  that  more  harm  is  likely  to  result  from  too  much  than  from 
too  little  separation  of  the  parts.  The  passionate  apostrophe 
in  this  clause,  far  from  being  injured  or  obscured,  is  rendered 
more  expressive  by  its  close  connection  with  the  previous  com- 
plaints and  lamentations.     The  idea  now  suggested  is,  that 


CHAPTER    LXIV.  403 

weary  of  complaint,  the  people  or  the  prophet  speaking  for  them 
suddenly  appeals  to  God  directly  with  an  ardent  wish  that  he 
would  deal  with  them  as  in  days  of  old.  The  remaining  words 
are  a  poetical  description  of  Jehovah's  interposition  or  the  mani- 
festation of  his  presence,  under  figures  drawn  perhaps  from  the 
account  of  his  epiphany  on  Sinai. 


CHAPTER    LXIV. 

This  chapter,  like  the  one  before  it,  from  which  it  is  in  fact 
inseparable,  has  respect  to  the  critical  or  turning  point  between 
the  old  and  new  dispensations,  and  presents  it  just  as  it  might 
naturally  have  appeared  to  the  believing  Jews,  i.  e.  the  first 
Christian  converts,  at  that  juncture.  The  strongest  confidence 
is  expressed  in  the  divine  power,  founded  upon  former  experi- 
ence, vs.  1-3.  The  two  great  facts  of  Israel's  rejection  as  a 
nation,  and  the  continued  existence  of  the  church,  are  brought 
together  in  v.  4.  The  unworthiness  of  Israel  is  acknowledged 
still  more  fully,  vs.  5,  6.  The  sovereign  authority  of  God  is 
humbly  recognized,  v.  7.  His  favour  is  earnestly  implored,  v.  8. 
The  external  prerogatives  of  Israel  are  lost.  v.  9.  But  will  God 
for  that  cause  cast  ofi"  the  true  Israel,  his  own  church  or  people  1 
V.  10. 

1.  (2)  As  fire  kindles  brush,  fire  boils  ivater — to  make  known  thy 
name  to  thine  enemies,  from  before  thee  nations  shall  tremble.  The 
last  clause  coheres  directly  with  the  preceding  verse,  while  the 
first  is  a  parenthetical  comparison ;  for  which  cause  some  of 
the  latest  writers  throw  the  last  words  of  ch.  63  into  this  sen- 
tence.    Either  of  two  constructions  may  be  here  adopted — as  a 


404  CHAPTER  LXIII. 

fire  of  brushwood  burns,  or,  as  fire  kindles  brusb — the  last  of 
which  is  preferred  by  most  interpreters,  as  simpler  in  itself, 
and  because  fire  is  the  subject  of  the  Vc-rb  in  the  next  clause 
also.  The  point  of  comparison  in  both  these  clauses  is  the 
rapidity  and  ease  with  which  the  effect  is  produced.  The 
literal  effect  is  described  in  the  next  words,  to  make  known  thy 
name,  i.  e.  to  manifest  thy  being  and  thine  attributes  to  thine 
enemies.  In  both  parts  of  the  sentence  the  construction  passes 
as  it  were  insensibly  from  the  infinitive  to  the  future,  a  tran- 
sition not  unfrequent  in  Hebrew  syntax. 

2.  (3)  III  thy  doing  fearful  things  [which)  we  exfect  not,  (oh  that) 
thou  tcouldst  descend^  (that)  the  mountains  from  before  thee  might 
flow  down.  There  are  two  very  different  constructions  of  this 
verse.  The  English  Version  makes  it  a  direct  historical  state- 
ment of  a  past  event :  When  thou  didst  terrible  things  which 
we  looked  not  for,  thou  camest  down,  the  mountains  flowed 
down  at  thy  presence.  This  seems  to  be  the  simplest  possible 
construction  ;  but  it  is  attended  by  a  serious  grammatical  difii- 
culty,  viz.  the  necessity  of  referring  the  future  to  past  time, 
without  anything  in  the  connection  to  facilitate  or  justify  the 
version.  On  the  other  hand,  this  word  appears  to  be  decisive 
of  the  future  bearing  of  the  whole  verse,  and  in  favour  of  the 
syntax  which  supposes  the  influence  of  the  optative  particle  to 
be  still  continued  through  this  verse,  as  well  as  that  before  it : 
(Oh  that)  in  doing  terrible  things,  such  as  we  expect  not,  thou 
wouldst  come  down,  etc. 

3.  (4)  And  from  eternity  they  have  not  heard.,  they  have  not  per- 
ceived by  the  ear,  the  eye  hath  not  seen,  a  God  besid,'  thee  (who)  loill 
do  for  (one)  waiting  for  him.  This  verse  assigns  a  reason  why 
such  fearful  things  should  be  expected  from  Jehovah,  namely, 
because  he  alone  had  proved  himself  able  to  perform  them. 
The  verbs  are  indefinite,  and  mean  that  men  in  general  have 


CHAPTER  LX  IV.  405 

not  heard,  or,  as  we  should  say,  that  no  one  has  heard,  or  in  a 
passive  fonu,  it  has  not  been  heard.  Do  may  be  either  taken 
absolutely,  or  as  goveruiog  them^  i.  e.  the  fearful  things  men- 
tioned in  V.  2.  Waiting  for  God  implies  faith,  hope,  and 
patient  acquiescence.  (See  above,  on  eh.  40:31.)  The  con- 
struction here  given  is  the  one  now  commonly  adopted,  and  is 
also  given  in  the  margin  of  the  English  Bible,  while  the  text 
of  that  version  makes  God  a  vocative,  and  ascribes  to  him  not 
only  the  doing  but  the  knowledge  of  the  fearful  things  in  ques- 
tion. This  construction  agrees  better  with  Paul's  quotation 
(1  Cor.  2  :  9)  of  the  words  as  descriptive  of  the  gospel  as  a 
mystery  or  something  hidden  till  revealed  by  the  Spirit. 
(Compare  Rom.  16  :  26,  and  Matt.  13  :  17.)  But  in  this,  as  in 
many  other  cases,  the  apostle,  by  deliberately  varying  the  form 
of  the  expression,  shows  that  it  was  not  his  purpose  to  inter- 
pret the  original  passage,  but  simply  to  make  use  of  its  terms 
in  expressing  his  own  thoughts  on  a  kindred  subject. 

4.  (5)  Thou  hast  met  with  onerejoicing  and  executing  righteousness; 
in  thy  ivays  shall  they  remember  thee ;  behold^  thou  hast  been  wroth^ 
and  we  have  sinned ;  in  them  is  perptiuty^  and  lee  shall  be  saved. 
There  is  perhaps  no  sentence  in  Isaiah,  or  indeed  in  the  Old 
Testament,  which  has  more  divided  and  perplexed  interpreters, 
or  on  which  the  ingenuity  and  learning  of  the  modern  writers 
have  thrown  less  light.  To  enumerate  the  various  interpreta- 
tions, would  be  endless  and  of  no  avail.  Nothing  more  will 
here  be  attempted  than  to  give  the  reader  some  idea  of  the 
various  senses  which  have  been  attached  to  the  particular  ex- 
pressions, as  a  means  of  showing  that  we  have  at  best  but  a 
choice  of  diflSculties,  and  of  procuring  for  our  own  exposition 
a  more  favourable  hearing  than  it  might  be  thought  entitled  to 
in  other  circumstances.  The  first  verb  has  been  variously 
taken  in  the  sense  of  meeting  as  an  enemy  and  meeting  as  a 
friend,  making  a  covenant,  removing  out  of  life,  interceding. 


406  CHAPTER   LXIV. 

and  accepting  intercession.  It  has  been  construed  as  a  simple 
affirmation,  botli  in  the  past  and  present  form  ;  as  a  conditional 
expression  and  as  the  expression  of  a  wish.  The  next  verb 
has  been  also  treated  both  as  a  direct  and  as  a  relative  expres- 
sion, they  will  remember  thee,  and  those  who  remember  thee. 
Thy  icayx  has  been  explained  to  mean  the  ways  of  God's  com- 
mandments and  of  his  providential  dispensations.  In  them  has 
been  referred  to  ways,  to  sins,  to  sufferings,  to  the  older  race  of 
Israelites.  oblS  has  been  treated  as  a  noun  and  as  an  adverb ; 
as  meaning  perpetuity,  eternity,  a  long  time,  and  forever.  The 
last  verb  has  been  construed  interrogatively  (shall  or  could  we 
be  saved  ?),  optatively  (may  we  be  saved),  and  indicatively, 
present,  past,  and  future  (we  have  been,  are,  or  shall  be  saved). 
Of  the  various  combinations  of  these  elements  on  record,  the 
most  important  in  relation  to  the  first  clause  are  the  following: 
Thou  hast  taken  away  those  who  rejoiced  to  do  righteousness 
and  remembered  thee  in  thy  ways.  Thou  didst  accept  the  in- 
tercession of  those  who  rejoiced  etc.  Thou  didst  encounter  or 
resist  as  if  they  had  been  enemies  those  who  rejoiced  etc. 
Thou  meetest  as  a  friend  him  rejoicing  etc.  If  thou  meet 
with  or  light  upon  one  rejoicing  etc.  they  will  remember  thee 
in  thy  ways.  Oh  that  thou  mightest  meet  with  one  rejoic- 
ing etc.  Of  the  second  clause,  the  following  constructions  may 
be  noted :  In  them  (i.  e.  our  sins)  we  have  been  always,  and 
yet  we  shall  be  saved.  We  have  sinned  against  them  (i.  e  thy 
ways)  always,  and  yet  have  been  delivered.  In  them  (i.  e.  thy 
ways  of  mercy)  there  is  continuance,  and  we  are  saved.  Thou 
wast  angry  after  we  had  sinned  against  them  (i.  e.  our  fathers), 
and  yet  we  are  safe.  We  have  sinned  in  them  (thy  ways)  of 
old,  and  can  we  be  saved?  In  them  (our  miseries)  there  is 
long  continuance  ;  oh  may  we  be  saved  !  In  them  (the  ways 
of  duty)  let  us  ever  go,  and  we  shall  be  saved.  Had  we  been 
always  in  them  (thy  ways),  we  should  have  been  saved.  The 
general  meaning  of  the  sentence  may  be  thus  expressed  in 


CHAPTER    LXIV.  407 

paraphrase :  '  Although  thou  hast  cast  off  Israel  as  a  nation, 
thou  hast  nevertheless  met  or  favourably  answered  every  one 
rejoicing  to  do  righteousness,  and  in  thy  ways  or  future  dis- 
pensations such  shall  still  remember  and  acknowledge  thee  ; 
thou  hast  been  angry,  and  with  cause,  for  we  have  sinned  ;  but 
in  them,  thy  purposed  dispensations,  there  is  perpetuity,  and 
we  shall  be  saved.'  The  abrogation  of  the  old  economy, 
though  fatal  to  the  national  pre-eminence  of  Israel,  was  so  far 
from  destroying  the  true  church  or  the  hopes  of  true  believers, 
that  it  revealed  the  way  of  life  more  clearly  than  ever,  and 
substituted  for  an  insufficient,  temporary  system,  a  complete 
and  everlasting  one.  In  this  construction  of  the  sentence,  the 
verbs  and  nouns  are  taken  in  their  usual  sense,  and  the  pro- 
noun refers  to  its  natural  antecedent. 

5.  (6)  And  we  were  like  the  unclean^  all  of  us,  and  like  a  filthy  gar- 
ment  all  our  rightfous?iesscs  (virtues  or  good  works),  and  we  faded 
like  the  (fading)  leaf  all  of  us,  and  our  iniquities  like  the  wind 
will  take  us  up  (or  carry  lis  aimy).  Having  shown  what  they 
are  or  hope  to  be  through  the  mercy  of  God  and  the  righteous- 
ness of  Christ,  they  state  more  fully  what  they  are  in  them- 
selves, and  what  they  must  expect  to  be  if  left  to  themselves. 
This  twofold  reference  to  their  past  experience  and  their  future 
destiny  accounts  for  the  transition  from  the  preterite  to  the  fu- 
ture, without  arbitrarily  confounding  them  together.  Some 
understand  the  comparison  with  withered  leaves  as  a  part  of 
the  description  of  their  sin,  while  others  apply  it  to  their  pun- 
ishment. The  first  hypothesis  is  favoured  by  the  difference  of 
the  tenses,  which  has  been  already  noticed  ;  the  last  by  the 
parallelism  of  the  clauses.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  here 
as  in  ch.  1  :  4,  the  two  things  ran  together  in  the  writer's  mind, 
and  that  no  refined  distinction  as  to  this  point  was  intended, 
(With  the  figures  of  the  last  clause  compare  ch.  57:  13.  Ps. 
1  :  4.  Job  27  :  21 .)    Some  apply  the  last  expression  to  the  actual 


408  CHAPTER    LXIV. 

deportation  of  the  Jews  to  Babylon.  It  is  remarkable,  how- 
ever, that  in  this,  as  in  other  cases  heretofore  considered,  there 
is  no  expression  which  admits  of  this  application  exclusively, 
and  none  which  admit  of  it  at  all  but  for  their  generality  and 
vagueness. 

6  (7.)  And  there  is  no  one  calling  on  thy  name,  rousing  himself  to 
lay  hold  on  thee  ;  for  thou  hast  hid  thy  face  from  us,  and  hast 
melted  us  because  of  (or  by  means  of)  our  iniquities.  Although 
there  is  evident  allusion  to  the  past  implied  in  the  very  form 
of  the  expression,  the  description  reaches  to  the  present  also, 
and  describes  not  only  what  the  speakers  were,  but  what  they 
are  when  considered  in  themselves,  as  well  as  the  effects  of  their 
own  weakness  and  corruption,  which  they  have  already  experi- 
enced. Calling  on  the  name  of  God  is  here  used  in  its  proper 
sense  of  praying  to  him  and  invoking  his  assistance  and  pro- 
tection ;  which  idea  is  expressed  still  more  strongly  by  the  next 
phrase,  rousing  himself  (which  implies  a  just  view  of  the  evil 
and  a  strenuous  exertion  to  correct  it)  to  lay  hold  upon  thee,  a 
strong  figure  for  attachment  to  a  person  and  reliance  on  him. 
In  the  hand  may  either  mean  by  means  of,  in  the  midst  of,  or 
because  of;  or  we  may  suppose  that  the  phrase  strictly  means, 
thou  dost  melt  us  into  the  hand  of  our  iniquities,  i.  e.  subject 
us  to  them,  make  us  unable  to  resist  them,  and  passively  sub- 
missive to  their  power. 

7  (8.)  A7id  now,  Jehovah,  our  father  (art)  thou,  we  the  clay  and 
thou  our  potter,  and  the  work  of  thy  hands  [are)  we  all.  Instead 
of  relying  upon  any  supposed  merits  of  their  own,  they  appeal 
to  their  very  dependence  upon  God,  as  a  reason  why  he  should 
have  mercy  on  them.  The  Prophet  here  resumes  the  thought 
of  oh.  63  :  16,  where,  as  here,  the  paternity  ascribed  to  God  is 
not  that  of  natural  creation  in  the  case  of  individuals,  but  the 
creation  of  the  church  or  chosen  people,  and  of  Israel  as  a 


CHAPTER    LX IV.  409 

spiritual  and  ideal  person.  The  figure  of  the  potter  and  the 
claj,  implying  absolute  authority  and  power,  is  used  twice  be- 
fore (ch.  29  :  6.  45  :  9),  and  is  one  of  the  connecting  links  be 
tween  these  later  prophecies  and  the  undisputed  portion  of 
Isaiah.  There  is  more  dignity  in  the  original  expression  than 
in  the  English  phrase  our  potter^  as  the  Hebrew  word  properly 
denotes  one  forming  or  imparting  shape  to  anything,  though 
specially  applied  in  usage  to  a  workman  in  clay,  when  that 
material  is  mentioned.  The  same  plea,  derived  from  the  rela- 
tion of  the  creature  to  the  mal^pr,  is  used  in  Ps.  138  :  8,  forsake- 
not  the  loork  of  thy  hands.  (Compare  Ps.  76  :  1.  79  :  1.)  In 
either  case  there  is  a  tacit  appeal  to  the  covenant  and  promise 
in  Gen.  17:7.   Lev.  26  ;  42-4.5.  Deut.  7  :  6.  26  :  17,  18. 

8  (9.)  Be  not  angry.^  oh  Jehovah.,  to  extremity^  and  do  not  to  eter- 
nity remember  guilt ;  lo^  look.,  ivc  pray  th:e^  thy  people  {are)  we  all. 
This  is  the  application  of  the  argument  presented  in  the  fore- 
going verse,  the  actual  prayer  founded  on  the  fact'^there  stated. 
The  common  version  {very  sore)  fails  to  reproduce  the  form  of 
the  original  expression,  as  consisting  of  a  preposition  and  a  noun. 

9  (10.)  Thy  holy  cities  are  a  desert.,  Zion  is  a  desert.,  Jervsalem  a 
waste.  By  holy  cities,  some  understand  the  towns  of  Judah ; 
others  Jerusalem  alone,  considered  as  consisting  of  two  towns, 
the  upper  and  the  lower,  here  called  Zion  and  Jerusalem, 
though  each  of  these  names  sometimes  comprehends  the 
whole,  and  the  latter  is  dual  in  its  very  form.  If  the 
writer  had  intended  to  employ  the  terms  in  the  former  sense, 
he  would  hardly  have  confined  his  specifications  in  the  other 
clause  to  Zion  and  Jerusalem.  In  any  case,  these  must  be 
regarded  as  the  chief  if  not  the  only  subjects  of  his  proposi- 
tion On  the  whole,  the  true  sense  of  the  verse,  expressed  or 
implied,  appears  to  be  that  Zion  has  long  been  a  desolation  and 
Jerusalem  a  waste. 

VOL.   II. — 18 


410  CHAPTER    LXIV. 

10.  Our  house  of  holi7iess  and  beauly^  {in)  which  our  fathers 
praised  thee,  has  been  burned  up  with  fire,  and  oM  our  delights  (or 
desirable  places)  have  become  a  desolation.  The  elliptical  use  of 
the  relative  in  reference  to  place  is  the  same  as  in  Gen.  39  :  20. 
Burned  up,  literally,  become  a  burning  of  fire,  as  in  ch.  9  :  6. 
The  reference  in  this  verse  is  of  course  to  the  destruction  of 
the  temple,  but  to  which  destruction  is  disputed.  Some 
refer  it  to  the  Babylonian  conquest,  when  the  temple,  as 
we  are  expressly  told,  was  burnt  (Jer.  52:  13);  some  to  its 
profanation  by  Autiochus  Epiphanes,  at  which  time,  how- 
ever, it  was  not  consumed  by  fire ;  many  later  writers,  with 
the  Jews  themselves,  to  its  destruction  by  the  Romans,  since 
which  the  city  and  the  land  have  lain  desolate.  To  the  first 
and  last  of  these  events  the  words  are  equally  appropriate. 
Either  hypothesis  being  once  assumed,  the  particular  expres- 
sions admit  of  being  easily  adapted  to  it.  With  our  own 
hypothesis  the  passage  may  be  reconciled  in  several  difi"erent 
ways.  There  is  nothing,  however,  in  the  terms  themselves,  or 
in  the  analogy  of  prophetic  language,  to  forbid  our  understand- 
ing this  as  a  description  of  the  desolations  of  the  church  itself, 
expressed  by  figures  borrowed  from  the  old  economy  and  from 
the  ancient  history  of  Israel.  If  literally  understood,  the  de- 
struction of  the  temple  and  the  holy  city  may  be  here 
lamented  as  a  loss  not  merely  to  the  Jewish  nation,  but  to 
the  church  of  God  to  which  they  rightfully  belong  and  by 
which  they  ought  yet  to  be  recovered,  a  sense  of  which  obligation 
blended  with  some  superstitious  errors  gave  occasion  to  the 
fanatical  attempt  of  the  crusades.     (See  above,  on  ch.  G3  :  18.) 

12.  Wilt  thou  for  these  (things)  restrain  thyself,  oh  Jehovah, 
wilt  thou  keep  silence  and  affiict  us  to  extremity  1  This  is  simply 
another  application  of  the  argument  by  way  of  an  importunate 
appeal  to  the  divine  compassions.  Self-restraint  and  silence,  as 
applied  to  God,  are  common  figures  for  inaction  and  apparent 


CHAPTER   LXV.  411 

indifference  to  the  interests  and  especially  the  sufferings  of  his 
people.  (See  above,  on  oh.  42  :  14  and  63  :  15.)  The  question 
is  not  whether  God  will  remain  silent  in  spite  of  what  his  peo- 
ple suffered,  but  whether  the  loss  of  their  external  advantages 
will  induce  him  to  forsake  them.  The  question  as  in  many 
other  cases  implies  a  negation  of  the  strongest  kind.  The  de- 
struction of  the  old  theocracy  was  God's  own  act  and  was  de- 
signed to  bring  the  church  under  a  new  and  far  more  glorious 
dispensation.  How  the  loss  of  a  national  organization  and  pre- 
eminence was  -to  be  made  good  is  fully  stated  in  the  following 
chapter. 


CHAPTER    LXV. 

The  great  enigma  of  Israel's  simultaneous  loss  and  gain  is 
solved  by  a  prediction  of  the  calling  of  the  gentiles,  v.  1.  This 
is  connected  with  the  obstinate  unfaithfulness  of  the  chosen 
people,  V.  2.  They  are  represented  under  the  two  main  aspects 
of  their  character  at  different  periods,  as  gross  idolaters  and  as 
Pharisaical  bigots,  vs.  3-5.  Their  casting  off  was  not  occa- 
sioned by  the  sins  of  one  generation  but  of  rdany,  vs.  6,  7.  But 
even  in  this  rejected  race  there  was  a  chosen  remnant,  in  whom 
the  promises  shall  be  fulfilled,  vs.  8-10.  He  then  reverts  to 
the  idolatrous  Jews  and  threatens  them  with  condign  punish- 
ment, vs.  11,  12.  Thejate  of  the  unbelieving  carnal  Israel  is 
compared  with  that  of  the  true  spiritual  Israel,  vs.  13-16.  The 
gospel  economy  is  described  as  a  new  creation,  v.  17.  Its  bless- 
ings are  described  under  glowing  figures  borrowed  from  the  old 
dispensation,  vs.  18,  19.  Premature  death  shall  be  no  longer 
known,  v.  20.  Possession  and  enjoyment  shall  no  longer  be 
precarious,  vs.  21-23.     Their  very  desires  shall  be  anticipated, 


412  CHAPTER   LXV. 

V.  24.     All  animosities  and  noxious  influences  sliall  cease  for- 
ever, V.  25. 

1.  I  have  been  inquired  of  by  those  that  asked  not ;  I  have  been 
found  by  those  that  sought  me  not ;  I  have  said,  Behold  me,  behold 
me  to  a  nation  (that)  was  not  called  by  my  name.  There  is  an 
apparent  inconsistency  between  the  first  two  members  of  the 
sentence  in  the  English  Version,  arising  from  the  use  of  the 
same  verb  [sough')  to  express  two  very  different  Hebrew  verbs. 
Tlie  exact  sense  seems  to  be,  I  allowed  myself  to  be  consulted, 
I  afforded  access  to  myself  for  the  purpose  of  consultation. 
This  is  not  a  mere  conjectural  deduction  from  the  form  of  the 
Hebrew  verb  or  from  general  analogy,  but  a  simple  statement 
of  the  actual  usage  of  this  very  word,  as  when  Jehovah  says 
again  and  again  of  the  ungodly  exiles  that  he  will  not  be  in- 
quired of  or  consulted  by  them  (Ez.  14:3.  20  :  3),  i.  e.  with 
effect  or  to  any  useful  purpose.  Jn  this  connection  it  is  tanta- 
mount to  saying  that  he  will  not  hear  them,  answer  them,  or  re- 
veal himself  to  them  ;  all  which  or  equivalent  expressions  have 
been  used  by  different  writers  in  the  translation  of  the  verse  be- 
fore us.  There  is  nothing  therefore  incorrect  in  substance, 
though  the  form  be  singular,  in  the  Septuagint  version  of  this 
verb,  retained  in  the  New  Testament|  £,«<?« *"*/?  lysv^dijA  I 
became  manifest,  i.  e.  revealed  myself  The  object  of  the  Verb 
ashed,  if  exact  uniformity  be  deemed  essential,  may  be  readily 
supplied  from  the  parallel  expression  sought  me.  Behold  me,  or 
as  it  is  sometimes  rendered  in  the  English  Bible,  here  I  am,  is 
the  usual  idiomatic  Hebrew  answer  to  a  call  by  name,  and  when 
ascribed  to  God  contains  an  assurance  of  his  presence  rendered 
more  emphatic  by  the  repetition.  (See  above,  ch.  52  :  6.  58  :  9.) 
It  is  therefore  equivalent  to  being  inquired  of  and  being  found. 
This  last  expression  has  occurred  before  inch.  55  :  6,  and  as 
here  in  combination  with  the  verb  to  seek.  A  people  not  called 
by  my  7iame,  i.  e.  not  recognized  or  known  as  my  people.     (See 


CHAPTER   LXV.  413 

above,  ch.  48  :  2.)  All  interpreters  agree  that  this  is  a  direct 
continuation  of  the  foregoing  context,  and  most  of  them  regard 
it  as  the  answer  of  Jehovah  to  the  expostulations  and  petitions 
there  presented  by  his  people.  The  modern  Germans  and  the 
Jews  apply  both  this  verb  and  the  next  to  Israel.  The  obvious 
objection  is  that  Israel  even  in  its  worst  estate  could  never  be 
described  as  a  nation  which  had  not  been  called  by  the  name  of 
Jehovah.  It  is  a  standing  characteristic  of  the  Jews  in  the 
Old  Testament,  that  they  were  called  by  the  name  of  Jehovah  ; 
but  if  they  may  also  be  described  in  terms  directly  opposite, 
•whenever  ihe  interpreter  prefers  it,  then  may  anything  mean 
anything.  In  all  their  alienations,  exiles,  and  dispersions,  the 
children  of  Israel  have  still  retained  that  title  as  their  highest 
glory  and  the  badge  of  all  their  tribe.  An  obvious  and  natural 
application  may  be  made  to  the  gentiles  generally,  whose  voca- 
tion is  repeatedly  predicted  in  this  book,  and  might  be  here 
used  with  powerful  effect  in  pi'oof  that  the  rejection  of  the  Jews 
•was  the  result  of  their  own  obstinate  perverseness,  not  of  God's 
unfaithfulness  or  want  of  power.  This  is  precisely  Paul's  in- 
terpretation of  the  passage  in  Rom.  10  :  20,  21,  where  he  does 
not,  as  in  many  other  cases,  merely  borrow  the  expressions  of 
the  Prophet,  but  formally  interprets  them,  applying  this  verse 
to  the  gentiles  and  then  adding,  '  but  to  Israel  (or  of  Israel)  he 
saith'  what  follows  in  the  next  verse.  The  same  intention  to 
expound  the  Prophet's  language  is  clear  from  the  apostle's  men- 
tion of  Isaiah's  boldness  in  thus  shocking  the  most  cherished 
prepossessions  of  the  Jews. 

2.  I  have  sjnead  (or  stretched)  out  my  hands  all  the  day  (or 
every  day)  to  a  rebellious  peopl",  those  going  the  way  not  good,  after 
their  own  thoughts  (or  designs).  The  gesture  mentioned  in  the 
first  clause  is  variously  explained  as  a  gesture  of  simple  calling, 
of  instruction,  of  invitation,  of  persuasion.  All  agree  that  it 
implies  God's  gracious  offer  of  himself  and  of  his  favour  to  the 


414  CHAPTER   LXV. 

people.  Whether  all  the  day  or  every  day  be  the  correct  trans- 
lation, the  idea  meant  to  be  conveyed  is  evidently  that  of  fre- 
quent repetition,  or  rather  of  unremitting  constancy.  The  re- 
bellious people  is  admitted  upon  all  hands  to  be  Israel.  The 
last  clause  is  an  amplification  and  explanatory  paraphrase  of 
the  first.  Going  arid  way  are  common  figures  for  the  course 
of  life.  A  way  not  good  is  a  litotes  or  meiosis  for  a  bad  or 
for  the  worst  way.  (See  Ps.  36  :  4.  Ezek.  36  :  31.)  Thoughts, 
not  opinions  merely,  but  devices  and  inventions  of  wickedness. 
(See  above,  on  ch.  55  :  7.)  With  this  description  compare  that 
of  Moses,  Deut.  32  :  5,  6. 

3.  The  people  angering  me  to  my  face  coniiuually,  sacrificing  in 
the  gardens,  and  censing  on  the  bricks.  We  have  now  a  more  de- 
tailed description  of  the  iDay  not  good.,  and  the  devices  mentioned 
in  the  foregoing  verse.  The  construction  is  continued,  the  peo- 
ple provoking  me  etc.  being  in  direct  apposition  with  the  rebel- 
lious people  going  etc.  To  my  face,  not  secretly  or  timidly  (Job 
31  :  27),  but  openly  and  in  defiance  of  me  (ch.  3  :  9.  Job  1  :  11), 
which  is  probably  the  meaning  of  before  me  in  the  first  command- 
ment (Ex.  20  :  3).  Animal  offerings  and  fumigations  are  com- 
bined to  represent  all  kinds  of  sacrifice.  As  to  the  idolatrous 
use  of  groves  and  gardens,  see  above,  on  ch.  57  :  5.  The  He- 
brew word  garden  denotes  any  enclosed  and  carefully  cultivated 
ground,  whether  chiefly  occupied  by  trees  or  not.  Of  the  last 
words,  on  the  bricks.,  there  are  four  interpretations.  The  first  is 
that  of  many  older  writers,  who  suppose  an  allusion  to  the  pro- 
hibition in  Exod.  20  :  24,  25.  But  bricks  are  not  there  men- 
tioned, and  can  liardly  come  under  the  description  of ''  hewn 
stone,"  besides  the  doubt  which  overhangs  the  application  of 
that  law,  and  especially  the  cases  in  which  it  was  meant  to  op- 
erate. A  second  explanation  supposes  bricks  to  mean  roofing- 
tiles  (Mark  2  :  4.  Luke  5  :  19),  and  the  phrase  to  be  descriptive 
of  idolatry  as  practised  on  the  roofs  of  houses  (2  Kings  23  :  12. 


CHAPTER    L  XV.  415 

Jer.  19  :  13.  32  :  29.  Zepli.  1:5.)  A  third  supposes  an  allu- 
sion to  some  practice  now  unknown,  but  possibly  connected 
with  the  curiously  inscribed  bricks  found  in  modern  times 
near  the  site  of  ancient  Babylon.  Much  the  simplest  and 
most  natural  supposition  is,  that  the  phrase  means  nothing  more 
than  altars,  or  at  most  altars  slightly  and  hastily  constructed. 
Of  such  altars  bricks  may  be  named  as  the  materials,  or  tiles  as 
the  superficial  covering. 

4.  Sitting  in  the  graves^  and  in  the  holes  they  ioill  lodge,  eating 
the  Jlesh  of  swine,  and  broth  of  filthy  things  {^is  in)  their  vessels. 
All  agree  that  this  verse  is  intended  to  depict  in  revolting 
colours  the  idolatrous  customs  of  the  people.  Nor  is  there 
much  doubt  as  to  the  construction  of  the  sentence,  or  the  force 
of -the  particular  expressions.  But  the  obscurity  which  over- 
hangs the  usage  referred  to  has  originated  various  arch  geological 
discussions  which  throw  no  light  on  the  drift  of  the  passage, 
nor  even  on  the  literal  translation  of  the  word's,  but  are  investi- 
gated merely  for  their  own  sake  or  their  bearing  upon  other 
objects.  Such  are  the  questions,  whether  these  idolaters  sat  in 
the  graves  or  among  them  ;  whether  for  necromantic  purposes, 
i.  e.  to  interrogate  the  dead,  or  to  perform  sacrificial  rites  to 
their  memory,  or  to  obtain  demoniacal  inspiration  ;  whether  the 
Hebrew  word  means  monuments,  or  caves,  or  temples ;  whether 
these  were  lodged  in  for  licentious  purposes,  or  to  obtain  pro- 
phetic dreams ;  whether  they  are  charged  with  simply  eating 
pork  for  food,  or  after  it  had  been  sacrificed  to  idols ;  whether 
swine's  flesh  was  forbidden  for  medicinal  reasons,  or  because  the 
heathen  sacrificed  and  ate  it,  or  on  other  grounds  ;  whether  p"iS 
means  broth  or  bits  of  meat,  and  if  the  former,  whether  it  was 
so  called  on  account  of  the  bread  broken  in  it,  or  for  other 
reasons,  etc.  The  only  question  of  grammatical  construction 
which  has  found  a  place  among  these  topics  of  pedantic  dis- 
quisition is  of  small  importance  with  respect  to  the  interpreta- 


416  CHAPTER   LXV. 

.r 

tion  of  the  passage.  It  is  the  question  whether  vessels  is  to  bo 
governed  by  a  preposition  understood  or  explained  as  an  ac- 
cusative of  place,  or  as  the  predicate  of  the  proposition,  broi/i  of 
abominable  meats  are  their  vessels.  Even  if  we  should  successively 
idopt  and  then  discard  every  one  of  the  opinions  some  of  which 
ave  now  been  mentioned,  the  essential  meaning  of  the  veise 
would  still  remain  the  same,  as  a  highly  wrought  description 
;jf  idolatrous  abominations. 

5.  The  {inen)  saying .,  Keep  to  thyself  come  not  near  to  me^^for  I 
am  holy  to  thee,  thme  (are)  a  smoke  in  my  icrath,  a  fire  burning  all 
tke  day  (or  every  day).  The  literal  translation  of  the  second 
phrase  is  approach  to  thyself  implying  removal  from  the  speaker. 
The  common  English  version  {stand  by  thyself)  suggests  an  idea 
not  contained  in  the  original,  viz.  that  of  standing  alone,  whereas 
all  that  is  expressed  by  the  Hebrew  phrase  is  the  act  of  stand- 
ing away  from  the  speaker,  for  which  Lowth  has  found  the  idio- 
matic equivalent  {keep  to  thyself).  Another  unusual  expression 
is  the  one  which  may  be  represented  by  the  English  words,  / 
am  holy  thce.^  i.  e.  I  am  holy  with  respect  to  thee;  and  as  this  im- 
plies comparison,  the  same  sense  is  attained  as  by  the  old  con- 
struction. As  to  the  question  who  are  here  described,  there 
are  two  main  opinions  :  first,  that  the  clause  relates  to  the  idola- 
ters mentioned  in  the  foregoing  verses  ;  the  other,  that  it  is 
descriptive  of  a  wholly  different  class.  The  latter  explanation 
is  substantially  the  true  one.  The  great  end  which  the  Prophet 
had  in  view  was  to  describe  the  unbelieving  Jews  as  abominable 
in  the  sight  of  God.  His  manner  of  expressing  this  idea  is 
poetical;  by  means  of  figures  drawn  from  various  periods  of  their 
history,  without  intending  to  exhibit  either  of  these  periods 
exclusively.  To  a  Hebrew  writer,  what  could  be  more  natural 
than  to  express  the  idea  of  religious  corruption  by  describing- 
its  subjects  as  idolaters,  diviners,  eaters  of  swine's  flesh,  worship- 
pers of  outward  forms,  and  self-righteous  hypocrites  ?     Of  such 


CHAPTER    LXV.  417 

the  text  declares  God's  abhorrence.  Smoke  and  fire  may  be 
taken  as  natural  concomitants  and  parallel  figures,  as  if  he  had 
said,  against  whom  my  wrath  smokes  and  burns  cent  uually. 
Or  the  smoke  may  represent  the  utter  consumption  of  the  ob- 
ject, and  the  fire  the  means  by  which  it  is  efi"ected,  which  ap- 
pears to  have  been  Luther's  idea. 

6,  7.  Xo,  it  is  written  before  me.  I  will  not  rest  except  I  repay ^ 
and  I  will  repay  into  their  bosom  your  iniquities  and  the  iniquities 
of  your  fathers  together^  saith  Jehovah,  who  burded  incense  on  the  ^'V 
mountains  cCnd  on  the  hills  blasphemed  vie.,  and  I  will  measure  their 
first  work  into  their  bosom.  The  particle  at  the  beginning  calls 
attention  both  to  the  magnitude  and  certainty  of  the  event 
abojit  to  be  predicted.  The  figure  of  writing  has  been 
variously  understood.  Some  think  that  what  is  said  to  be 
written  is  the  eternal  law  of  retribution.  Others  understand  ■ 
by  it  a  book  of  remembrance  (Mai.  3  :  16),  i.  ©f  a  record  of  the 
sins  referred  to  afterwards,  by  which  they  are  kept  perpetu- 
ally present  to  the  memory  of  Jehovah  (Daniel  7  :  10).  Most 
later  writers  understand  by  it  a  record,  not  of  the  crime,  but 
of  its  punishment,  or  rather  of  the  purpose  or  decree  to  punish 
it-  (Dan.  5  :  5,  24),  in  reference  to  the  written  judgments  of  the 
ancient  courts  (ch.  10:  1).  This  last  interpretation  does  not 
necessarily  involve  the  supposition  that  the  thing  here  said  to  be 
written  is  the  threatening  which  immediately  follows,  although 
this  is  by  no  means  an  unnatural  construction.  I  tvill  not  rest 
or  be  silent,  an  expression  used  repeatedly  before  in  reference 
to  the  seeming  inaction  or  indifference  of  Jehovah.  (See  above, 
ch.  42  :  14.  57  :  1 1,  and  compare  Ps.  50  :  21.  Hab.  1:13.)  For 
repay  into  their  bosom,  we  have  in  the  seventh  verse  measure  into 
their  boso7n,  which  affords  a  clue  to  the  origin  and  real  meaning 
of  the  figure  ;  as  we  read  that  Boaz  said  to  Ruth,  Bring  the 
veil  (or  cloak)  that  is  upon  thee  and  hold  it,  and  she  held  it, 
and  he  measured  six  (measures  of )  barley  and  laid  it  on  her 

18* 


418  CHAPTER    LXV. 

(Ruth  3  :  15).  Hence  the  phrase  to  measure  into  any  one's 
bosom,  i.  e.  into  the  lap  or  the  fold  of  the  garment  covering  the 
bosom.  (See  above,  on  ch.  49  :  22.)  The  same  figure  is  em- 
ployed by  Jer.  32  :  18  and  in  Ps.  79  :  12,  and  has  been  ex- 
plained as  implying  abundance,  or  a  greater  quantity  than  one 
could  carry  in  the  hand.  (Compare  Luke  6  :  38.)  But  others 
understand  the  main  idea  to  be  not  that  of  abundance,  but  of 
retribution,  anything  being  said  to  return  into  one's  own  bosom, 
just  as  it  is  elsewhere  said  to  return  upon  his  own  head 
(Judg.  9  ;  57.  Ps.  7  :  16).  Both  these  accessory  ideas  are  ap- 
propriate in  the  case  before  us.  The  sudden  change  from  Iheir 
to  your  at  the  beginning  of  v.  7,  has  been  commonly  explained 
as  an  example  of  the  enallage  personae  so  frequently  occurring 
in  Isaiah.  This  supposition  is  undoubtedly  sufficient  to  remove 
all  difficulty  from  the  syntax.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  the 
change  is  not  a  mere  grammatical  anomaly  or  license  of  con- 
struction, but  significant,  and  intended  to  distinguish  between 
three  generations.  I  will  repay  into  their  bosom  (that  of  your 
descendants)  your  iniquities  and  the  iniquities  of  your  fathers. 
If  this  be  not  a  fanciful  distinction,  it  gives  colour  to  the 
opinion  that  the  previous  description  brings  to  view  successively 
the  gross  idolatry  of  early  times  and  the  pharisaical  hypocrisy 
prevailing  at  the  time  of  Christ.  Supposing  his  contemporaries 
to  be  the  immediate  objects  of  address,  there  would  then  be  a 
distinct  allusion  to  their  idolatrous  progenitors,  the  measure  of 
whose  guilt  they  filled  up  (Matt.  23  :  32),  and  to  their  children, 
upon  whom  it  was  to  be  conspicuously  visited  (Luke  23  :  28). 
But  whether  this  be  so  or  not,  the  meaning  of  the  text  is  obvi- 
ous, as  teaching  that  the  guilt  which  had  accumulated  through 
successive  generations  should  be  visited,  though  not  exclusively, 
upon  the  last.  The  whole  of  idolatry  is  here  summed  up  in 
burning  incense  on  t/ie  mountains^  which  are  elsewhere  mentioned 
as  a  favourite  resort  of  those  who  worshipped  idols  (ch.  57  :  7 
Jer.  3:6.   Ez.  6  :  13.   18:6.   Hos.  4  :  13),  and  blaspheming  God 


CHAPTER    LXV.  419 

ujwn  the  hills,  which  may  either  be  regarded  as  a  metaphorical 
description  of  idolatry  itself,  or  strictly  taken  to  denote  the 
oral  expression  of  contempt  for  Jehovah  and  his  worship,  which 
might  naturally  be  expected  to  accompany  such  practices.  Their 
former  work,  i.  e.  its  product  or  reward,  as  in  ch.  40  :  10.  (See 
above,  p.  77.)  The  only  sense  in  which  it  can  be  thus  described 
is  that  of  ancient,  as  distinguished  ^not  from  the  subsequent 
transgressions  of  the  fathers,  but  from  those  of  the  children 
who  came  after  them.  According  to  the  sense  which  the  Apos- 
tle puts  upon  the  two  first  verses  of  this  chapter,  we  may  un- 
derstand those  now  before  us  as  predicting  the  excision  of  the 
Jews  from  the  communion  of  the  church  and  from  their  cove- 
nant relation  to  Jehovah,  as  a  testimony  of  his  sore  displeasure 
on  account  of  the  unfaithfulness  and  manifold  transgressions 
of  that  chosen  race  throughout  its  former  history,  but  also  on 
account  of  the  obstinate  and  spiteful  unbelief  with  which  so 
many  later  generations  have  rejected  the  Mesrsiah,  for  whose 
sake  alone  they  ever  had  a  national  existence  and  enjoyed  so 
many  national  advantages. 

8.  Thus  sai/h  Jehovah,  As  (^when)  juice  is  found  hi  the  cluster 
and  one  says,  Destroy  it  not,  for  a  blessing  is  in  it,  so  ioill  I  do 
for  the  sake  of  my  servants,  not  to  destray  the  whole.  A  blessing 
is  in  it  seems  to  mean  something  more  than  that  it  has  some 
value.  The  idea  meant  to  be  suggested  is,  that  God  has 
blessed  it,  and  that  man  should  therefore  not  destroy  it.  The 
image  presented  by  the  Prophet  is  that  of  a  good  cluster  in 
which  juice  is  found,  while  others  are  unripe  or  rotten.  I  will 
do  is  by  some  understood  as  meaning  I  loill  act,  or  I  will  cause 
it  to  be  so  ;  but  this  is  not  the  usage  of  the  Hebrew  verb, 
which  rather  means  precisely  what  the  English /?<;iZ/ f/o  de- 
notes in  such  connections,  i.  e.  I  will  do  so,  or  will  act  in  the 
same  manner.  My  servants  is  by  some  understood  to  mean 
the  patriarchs,  the  fathers,  for  whose   sake   Israel  was  still  be- 


420  CHAPTER    LXV. 

loved  (Rom.  11  :  28).  It  is  more  natural,  however,  to  apply 
it  to  the  remnant  according  to  the  election  of  grace  (Rom. 
11:5),  the  true  believers  represented  by  the  ripe  and  juicy 
cluster  in  the  foregoing  simile.  The  construction  of  the  last 
words  is  the  same  as  in  ch.  48  :  9.  TJie  whole  is  a  literal  trans- 
lation of  the  Hebrew  phrase,  and  at  once  more  exact  and  more 
expressive  than  the  common  version,  them  all. 

9.  And  I  will  bring  forth  from  Jacob  a  seed  and  from  Judah 
an  heir  of  my  mountain?,.^  ami  my  chosen  ones  shall  Inherit  if,  and 
my  servants  shall  dwell  there.  This  is  an  amplification  of  the 
promise,  I  will  do  so,  in  the  foregoing  verse.  My  rnountains 
denotes  the  whole  of  Palestine,  as  being  an  uneven,  hilly 
country.  See  the  same  use  of  the  plural  in  ch.  14  :  25,  and 
the  analogous  phrase,  m.ountains  of  Israel,  repeatedly  employed 
by  Ezekiel  (36  :  1,  8.  38  :  8).  The  corresponding  singular,  my 
mountain  (ch.  1 1  :  9.  57  :  13),  is  by  many  understood  in  the  same 
manner.  The  adverb  at  the  end  of  the  sentence  properly 
means  thither,  and  is  never  perhaps  put  for  there  except  in  cases 
where  a  change  of  place  is  previovisly  mentioned  or  implied. 
If  so,  the  sense  is  not  merely  that  they  shall  abide  there,  but 
that  they  shall  first  go  or  return  thither,  which  in  this  con- 
nection is  peculiarly  appropriate.  Of  the  promise  here  re- 
corded there  are  three  principal  interpretations.  The  first, 
embraced  by  neaidy  all  the  modern  Germans,  is  that  the  verse 
predicts  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  from  Babylon.  The 
second  may  be  stated  in  the  words  of  Henderson,  viz.  that 
"  the  future  happy  occupation  of  Palestine  by  a  regenerated 
race  of  Jews  is  here  clearly  predicted.'  The  third  is  that  the 
verse  foretells  the  perpetuation  of  the  old  theocracy  or  Jewisji 
church  ;  not  in  the  body  of  the  nation,  but  in  the  remnant 
which  believed  on  Christ ;  and  which,  enlarged  by  the  acces- 
sion of  the  gentiles,  is  identical  in  character  and  rights  with 
the  church  of  the  old  dispensation,  the  heir  to  all  its  promises, 


CHAPTER    LXV.  421 

and  this  among  the  rest,  which  either  has  been  or  is  to  be  ful- 
filled both  in  a  literal  and  figurative  sense  ;  in  the  latter,  be- 
cause the  Church  already  has  what  is  essentially  equivalent  to 
the  possession  of  the  land  of  Canaan  under  a  local  ceremonial 
system  ;  in  the  former,  because  Palestine  is  yet  to  be  recovered 
from  the  ^Pajnim  and  the  Infidel,  and  rightfully  oocupied,  if 
not  by  Jews,  by  Christians,  as  the  real  seed  of  Abraham,  par- 
takers of  the  same  faith  and  heirs  of  the  same  promise  (Heb. 
11:9);  for  the  promise  that  he  should  be  the  heir  of  the  world 
was  not  to  Abraham,  or  to  his  seed  through  the  law,  but 
through  the  righteousness  of  faith  (Rom.  4  :  13).  If  it  should 
please  God  to  collect  the  natural  descendants  of  the  patriarch 
in  that  laud  and  convert  them  in  a  body  to  the  true  faith, 
there  would  be  an  additional  coincidence  between  the  propliecy 
and  the  event,  even  in  minor  circumstances,  such  as  we  often 
find  in  the  history  of  Christ.  But  if  no  such  national  restora- 
tion of  the  Jews  to  Palestine  should  ever  |iappen,  the  exten- 
sion of  the  true  religion  over  that  benighted  region,  which 
both  prophecy  and  providence  encourage  us  to  look  for,  Avould  ■ 
abundantly  redeem  the  pledge  which  God  has  given  to  his  peo- 
ple in  this  and  other  parts  of  Scripture. 

10.  And  Sharon  shall  be  for  (or  bcconl'j)  a  home  of  flocks,  and 
the  Valley  of  Achor  a  lair  of  herds  Jor  viy  people  who  have  sought 
me.  This  is  a  repetition  of  the  promise  in  the  foregoing  verse, 
rendered  more  specific  by  the  mention  of  one  kind  of  pros- 
perity, viz.  that  connected  with  the  raising  of  cattle,  and  of 
certain  places  where  it  should  be  specially  enjoyed,  viz.  the 
valley  of  Achor  and  the  plain  of  Sharon.  Two  reasons  have 
been  given  for  the  mention  of  these  places,  one  derived  from 
their  position,  the  other  from  their  quality.  As  the  valley  of 
Achor  was  near  Jericho  and  Jordan,  and  the  plain  of  Sharon 
on  the  Mediterranean,  between  Joppa  and  Cesarea.  some  sup- 
pose that  they  are  here  combined  to  signify  the  whole  breadth 


422  CHAPTER  LXV. 

of  the  laud,  from  East  to  West.  And  as  Sharon  was  prover- 
bial for  its  verdure  and  fertility  (see  above,  ch.  33  :  9,  35  :  2), 
it  is  inferred  by  some  that  Achor  was  so  likewise,  which  they 
think  is  the  more  probable  because  Hosea  says  that  the  valley 
of  Achor  shall  be  a  door  of  hope  (Hos.  2  :  15).  But  this  may 
have  respect  to  the  calamity  which  Israel  experienced  there  at 
his  first  entrance  on  the  land  of  promise  (Josh.  7  :  26),  so  that 
where  his  troubles  then  began  his  hopes  shall  now  begin.  For 
these  or  other  reasons  Sharon  and  Achor  are  here  mentioned, 
in  Isaiah's  characteristic  manner,  as  samples  of  the  whole  land^ 
or  its  pastures,  just  as  flocks  and  herds  are  used  as  images  of 
industry  and  wealth,  derived  from  the  habits  of  the  patriarchal 
age.  That  this  is  the  correct  interpretation  of  the  flocks  and 
herds,  is  not  disputed  even  by  the  very  writers  who  insist  upon 
the  literal  construction  of  the  promise  that  the  seed  of  Jacob 
shall  possess  the  land,  as  ensuring  the  collection  of  the  Jews 
into  the  region  which  their  fathers  once  inhabited.  That  to 
seek  Jehovah  sometimes  has  specific  reference  to  repentance  and 
conversion,  on  the  part  of  those  who  have  been  alienated  from 
him,  may  be  seen  by  a  comparison  of  ch.  9  :  12  (13)  and  55  :  6. 

11.  And  {as  for)  you,forsakers  of  Jehovah^  the  {men)  forgetting 
my  holy  mountain^  the  {meii)  setting  for  Fortune  a  table^  and  the 
{men)  filliyig  for  Fate  a  mingled  draught.  This  is  only  a  de- 
scription of  the  object  of  address  ;  the  address  itself  is  con- 
tained in  the  nest  verse.  The  class  of  persons  meant  are  first 
described  as  forsakers  of  Jehovah  and  forgetters  of  his  holy 
mountain.  The  description  of  the  same  persons  in  the  last 
clause  is  much  more  obscure,  and  has  occasioned  a  vast  amount 
of  learned  disquisition  and  discussion.  Many  interpreters 
have  understood  the  two  most  important  words  as  common 
nouns  denoting  trooj)  and  number  (the  former  being  the  sense 
put  upon  the  name  Gad/va.  Gen.  30:  11),  and  referred  the 
whole  clause  either  to  convivial  assemblies,  perhaps  connected 


CHAPTER   LXV.  423 

with  idolatrous  worship,  or  to  tlie  troop  of  planets  and  the 
multitude  of  stars,  as  objects  of  such  worship.  But  as  the 
most  essential  words  in  this  case  are  supplied,  the  later  writers, 
while  they  still  suppose  the  objects  worshipped  to  be  here  de- 
scribed, explain  the  descriptive  terms  in  a  diiferent  manner. 
Luther  retains  the  Hebrew  names  Gad  and  Meni^  which  are 
also  given  in  the  margin  of  the  English  Bible ;  but  most  in- 
terpreters explain  them  by  equivalents.  One  opinion  is  that 
Gad  is  the  planet  Jupiter  (identical  with  Bel  or  Baal),  and 
Meni  the  planet  Venus  (identical  with  Ashtoreth),  which  are 
called  in  the  old  Arabian  mythology  the  Greater  and  Lesser 
Fortune  or  Good  Luck,  while  Saturn  and  Mars  were  known  as 
the  Greater  and  Lesser  Evil  Fortune  or  111  Luck.  Others 
understand  the  planets  here  intended  to  be  Jupiter  and 
Saturn ;  others  still  the  Sun  and  Moon.  Amidst  this  diver- 
sity of  theories  and  explanations  it  is  satisfactory  to  find  that 
there  is  perfect  unanimity  upon  the  only  point  of  exegetical 
importance,  namely,  that  the  passage  is  descriptive  of  idola- 
trous worship.  This  being  settled,  the  details  still  doubtful 
can  be  interesting  only  to  the  philologist  and  antiquarian. 
The  kind  of  offering  described  is  supposed  to  be  identical  with 
the  Icdisternia  of  the  Roman  writers,  which  consisted  in  the 
spreading  of  a  feast  for  the  consumption  of  the  gods.  Hero- 
dotus mentions  a'T^arif^a  i^A/oiTj^ble  of  the  sun)  as  known  in 
Egypt ;  and  Jeremiah  twice  connects  this  usage  with  the  wor- 
ship of  the  queen  of  heaven.  (Jer.  7  :  18.  44  :  17.)  The  last 
word  in  Hebrew  denotes  mixture^  and  may  either  mean  spiced 
wine,  or  a  compound  of  different  liquors,  or  a  mere  prepara- 
tion or  infusion  of  one  kind.  (See  above,  on  ch.  5  :  22.)  As 
to  the  application  of  the  passage,  there  is  the  usual  division  of 
opinion  among  the  adherents  of  the  different  hypotheses. 
The  true  sense  of  the  passage  seems  to  be  the  same  as  in 
vs.  3-7,  where  the  Prophet  contemplates  his  description  of  the 
wickedness  of  Israel,  by  circumstances  drawn  from  different 


424  CHAPTER    LXV. 

periods  of  his  history,  such  as  the  idolatrous  period,  the  phar- 
isaical  period,  etc. 

12.  And  I  have  numbered  you  to  the  sword,  and  all  of  pou  to 
the  slaughter  shall  bow  ;  because  I  called  and  ye  did  not  answer^  I 
spake  and  ye  did  not  hear^  and  ye  did  the  (thing  that  was)  evil  in 
my  eyes,  and  that  which  I  desired  not  ye  chose.  The  strict  sense 
of  numbering  or  counting  is  not  only  admissible,  but  necessary 
to  express  a  portion  of  the  writer's  meaning,  namely,  the  idea 
that  they  should  be  cut  oflF  one  by  one,  or  rather  one  with  an- 
other, i.  e.  all  without  exception.  (See  ch.  27  :  12.)  In  the 
use  of  the  Hebrew  verb  to  nuinber  there  is  evident  allusion  to 
its  derivative  in  the  preceding  verse,  which  some  of  the 
German  writers  try  to  make  perceptible  to  Grerman  readers  by 
combining  cognate  nouns  and  verbs.  The  same  effect,  if  it 
were  worth  the  while,  might  be  produced  in  English  by  the 
use  of  destiny  and  destine.  Bowing  or  stooping  to  the  slaughter 
is  submitting  to  it  either  willingly  or  by  compulsion.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  verse  assigns  the  reason  of  the  threatened 
punishment.  The  first  expression  bears  a  strong  resemblance 
to  the  words  of  Wisdom,  in  Prov.  1  :  24-31.  As  to  the  appli- 
cation of  the  words,  there  is  the  usual  confidence  and  contra- 
diction ;  but  the  most  probable  explanation  is  that  which  under- 
stands the  passage  as  predicting  the  excision  of  the  Jewish  na- 
tion from  the  Church,  not  only  for  the  crowning  sin  of  rejecting 
Christ,  but  for  their  aggregate  offences  as  idolaters  and  hypo- 
crites, as  rebels  against  God  and  despisers  of  his  mercy,  with 
which  sins  they  are  often  charged  in  the  Old  Testament  (e.  g. 
ch.  50  :  2.  65  :  2.  66  :  4.  Jer.  7:13,  26),  and  still  more  point- 
edly by  Christ  himself  in  several  of  his  parables  and  other  dis- 
courses, some  of  which  remarkably  resemble  that  before  us 
both  in  sentiment  and  language.  (See  Matt.  23  :  37.  22  :  7. 
Luke  19  :  27,  and  compare  Acts  13  :  46.)  Besides  the  coun- 
tenance which  this  analogy  affords  to  this  exposition,  it  is 


CHAPTER    LXV,  425 

strongly  recommended  by  its  strict  agreement  with  what  we 
have  deterraiued,  independently  of  this  place,  to  be  the  true 
Sense  of  the  whole  foregoing  context.  Interpreted  by  these 
harmonious  analogies,  the  verse,  instead  of  threatening  the  de- 
struction of  the  Babylonish  Jews  before  the  adveift,  or  of  the 
wicked  Jews  and  Antichrist  hereafter,  is  a  distinct  prediction 
of  a  far  more  critical  event  than  either,  the  judicial  separation 
of  the  Jewish  nation  and  the  Israel  of  God,  which  had  for 
ages  seemed  inseparable,  not  to  say  identical. 

13,  14.  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah^  Lo  !  my  servants 
shall  eat  and  ye  shall  hunger  ;  lo^  my  servants  shall  drink  and  ye 
shall  thirst ;  lo,  my  servants  shall  rejoice  and  ye  shall  be  ashamed ; 
lo,  my  servants  shall  shout  from  gladness  of  heart,  and  ye  shall 
cry  from  grief  of  heart,  and  from,  hrokenness  of  spirit  ye  shall 
howl.  These  verses  merely  carry  out  the  general  threatening 
of  the  one  preceding,  in  a  series  of  poetical  antitheses,  where 
hunger,  thirst,  disgrace,  and  anguish,  take  the  place  of  sword 
and  slaughter,  and  determine  these  to  be  symbolical  or  em- 
blematic terms.  The  same  metaphors  are  often  used  to  sig- 
nify spiritual  joy  and  horror,  not  only  in  the  Pi'ophets  (see 
above,  ch.  8  :  21.  33  :  16.  55  :  1.  58  :  14),  but  by  our  Saviour 
when  he  speaks  of  his  disciples  as  eating  bread  in  the  king- 
dom of  heaven,  where  many  shall  come  from  the  east  and 
the  west,  and  sit  down  (or  recline  at  table)  with  Abraham, 
Isaac,  and  Jacob  (Matt.  8  :  11);  and  ascribes  to  the  king  in  the 
parable  the  solemn  declaration,  I  say  unto  you^pone  of  those 
men  that  were  hidden  shall  taste  of  my  supper  (Luke  14  :  24). 
Thus  understood,  the  passage  is  a  solemn  prediction  of  happi- 
ness to  the  believing  and  of  misery  to  the  unbelieving  Jews. 
The  latter  are  directly  addressed,  the  former  designated  as  my 
servants.  Gladness  of  heart,  literally  goodness^  of  ^eart,  which 
in  our  idiom  would  express  a  different  idea,  on  account  of  our 
predominant  use  of  the  first  word  in  a  moral  sense.     For  the 


426  CHAPTER    LXV. 

Hebrew  expression  see  Deut.  28  :  47.  Judg.  19  :  6,  22.  For 
brokemiess  of  spirit^  compare  ch.  61  :  1  and  Ps.  51  :  17.  To  be 
ashamed,  as  often  elsewhere,  includes  disappointment  and  frus- 
tration of  hope. 

15.  And  ye  shall  leave  your  name  for  an  oath  to  my  chosefiones, 
and  the  Lord  Jehovah  shall  slay  thee,  and  shall  call  his  servants 
by  another  name,  (literally.  call_  another  name  to  them).  The 
object  of  address  is  still  the  body  of  the  Jewish  nation,  from 
which  the  believing  remnant  are  distinguished  by  the  names 
my  chosen  and  my  servants.  Oath  is  here  put  for  curse,  as  it  is 
added  to  it  in  Dan.  9  :  11,  and  the  two  are  combined  in  Num. 
5:21,  where  the  oath  of  cursing  may  be  regarded  as  the  com- 
plete expression  of  which  oath  is  here  an  ellipsis.  To  leave 
one's  name  for  a  curse,  according  to  Old  Testament  usage,  is 
something  more  than  to  leave  it  to  be  cursed.  The  sense  is 
that  the  name  shall  be  used  as  a  formula  of  cursing,  so  that 
men  shall  be  able  to  wish  nothing  worse  to  others  than  a  like 
character  and  fate.  This  is  clear  from  Jer.  29  :  22  compared 
with  Zech.  3  :  2,  as  well  as  from  the  converse  or  correlative 
promise  to  the  patriarchs  and  their  children  that  a  like  use 
should  be  made  of  their  names  as  a  formula  of  blessing  (Gen. 
22  :  18.  48  :  20).  As  in  other  cases  where  the  use  of  names 
is  the  subject  of  discourse,  there  is  no  need  of  supposing  that 
any  actual  practice  is  predicted,  but  merely  that  the  character 
and  fate  of  those  addressed  will  be  so  bad  as  justly  to  admit  of 
such  an  application.  As  the  phrase  your  name  shows  that  the 
object  of  address  is  a  plurality  of  persons  bearing  one  name,  or 
in  other  words  an  organized  community,  so  the  singular  form 
slay  thee  is  entirely  appropriate  to  this  collective  or  ideal  per- 
son. Of  the  last  clause  there  are  three  interpretations.  The 
rabbinical  expounders  understand  it  as  the  converse  of  the 
other  clause.  As  your  name  is  to  be  a  name  of  cursing,  so  my 
servants  are  to  have  another  name,  i.  e.  a  name  of  blessing,  or 


CHAPTER    LXV.  421 

a  name  by  which  men  shall  bless.  Others  give  it  a  more 
general  sense,  as  meaning  their  condition  shall  be  altogether 
different.  A  third  opinion  is  that  it  relates  to  the  substitution 
of  the  Christian  name  for  that  of  Jew,  as  a  distinctive  designa- 
tion of  God's  people.  The  full  sense  of  the  clause  can  only 
be  obtained  by  combining  all  these  explanations,  or  at  least  a 
part  of  each.  The  first  is  obviously  implied,  if  not  expressed. 
The  second  is  established  by  analogy  and  usage,  and  the  almost 
unanimous  consent  of  all  interpreters.  The  only  question  is 
in  reference  to  the  last,  which  is  of  course  rejected  with  con- 
tempt by  the  neologists,  and  regarded  as  fanciful  by  some 
Christian  writers.  These  have  been  influenced  in  part  by  the 
erroneous  assumption  that  if  this  is  not  the  whole  sense  of  the 
words,  it  cannot  be  a  part  of  it.  But  this  is  only  true  in  cases 
where  the  two  proposed  are  incompatible.  The  true  state  of 
the  case  is  this  :  According  to  the  usage  of  the  prophecies  .the 
promise  of  another  name  imports  a  different  character  and 
state,  and  in  this  sense  the  promise  has  been  fully  verified. 
But  in  addition  to  this  general  fulfilment,  which  no  one  calls  iu 
question,  it  is  matter  of  history  that  the  Jewish  commonwealth 
or  nation  is  destroyed  ;  that  the  name  of  Jew  has  been  for  cen- 
turies a  by-word  and  a  formula  of  execration,  and  that  they 
who  have  succeeded  to  the  spiritual  honours  of  this  once 
favoured  race,  although  they  claim  historical  identity  there- 
with, have  never  borne  its  name,  but  another,  which  from 
its  very  nature  could  have  no  existence  until  Christ  had 
come,  and  which  in  the  common  parlance  of  the  Christian 
world  is  treated  as  the  opposite  of  Jew.  Now  all  this  must 
Ibe  set  aside  as  mere  fortuitous  coincidence,  or  it  must  be  ac- 
counted for  precisely  in  the  same  way  that  we  all  account  for 
similar  coincidences  between  the  history  of  Christ  and  the  Old 
Testament  in  minor  points,  where  all  admit  that  the  direct 
sense  of  the  prophecy  is  more  extensive.  As  examples,  may 
be  mentioned  John  the  Baptist's  preaching  in  a  literal  wilder- 


428  CHAPTER    LXV. 

ness,  our  Saviour's  riding  on  a  literal  ass,  his  literally  opening 
the  eyes  of  the  blind,  when  it  is  evident  to  every  reader  of  the 
original  passage  that  it  predicts  events  of  a  far  more  extensive 
and  more  elevated  nature.  While  I  fully  believe  that  this 
verse  assures  Grod's  servants  of  a  very  diiferent  fate  from  that 
of  the  unbelieving  Jews,  I  have  no  doubt  that  it  also  has  re- 
spect to  the  destruction  of  the  Jewish  state  and  the  repudia- 
tion of  its  name  by  the  true  church  or  Israel  of  God. 

16.  {By)  tohich  the  (man)  blessing  himself  in  the  land  (or  earth) 
shall  bless  himself  by  the  God  of  truth,  and  (by  which)  the  (man) 
swearing  in  the  land  (or  earth)  shall  swear  by  the  God  of  truth, 
because  forgotten  are  the  former  enmities  (or  troubles),  and  because 
they  are  hidden  from  my  eyes.  Two  things  have  divided  and  per- 
plexed interpreters  in  this  verse,  as  it  stands  connected  with 
the  one  before  it.  The  first  is  the  apparent  change  of  subject, 
and  the  writer's  omission  to  record  the  new  name  which  had 
just  been  promised.  The  other  is  the  very  unusual  construc- 
tion of  the  relative.  The  first  of  these  has  commonly  been  left 
without  solution,  or  referred  to  the  habitual  freedom  of  the 
writer.  The  other  has  been  variously  but  very  unsuccessfully 
explained.  All  objections  may  be  obviated  by  referring  the 
relative  to  an  expressed  antecedent,  viz.  name,  a  construction 
given  both  in  the  Septuagint  and  Vulgate  versions,  although 
otherwise  defective  and  obscure.  Another  advantage  of  this 
construction  is  that  it  removes  the  abrupt  transition  and  sup- 
plies the  name,  which  seems  on  any  other  supposition  to  be 
wanting.  According  to  this  view  of  the  place,  the  sense  is  that 
the  people  shall  be  called  after  the  God  of  truth,  so  that  his 
name  and  theirs  shall  be  identical,  and  consequently  whoever 
blesses  or  swears  by  the  one  blesses  or  swears  by  the  other  also. 
The  form  in  which  this  idea  is  expressed  is  peculiar,  but  intelli- 
gible and  expressive  :  '  His  people  he  shall  call  by  anotlier 
name,  which  (i.  e.  with  respect  to  which,  or  more  specifically  by 


CHAPTER    LXV.  429 

whicli)  he  that  blesseth  shall  bless  by  the  God  of  truth,'  etc. 
Most  interpreters  understand  by  blessing  himself,  praying  for 
God's  blessing,  and  by  swearing,  the  solemn  invocation  of  his 
presence  as  a  witness,  both  being  mentioned  as  acts  of  religious 
worship  and  of  solemn  recognition.  '(12S  is  properly  an  adjec- 
tive meaning  sure^  trustworthy,  and  therefore  including  the 
ideas  of  reality  and  faithfulness,  neither  of  which  should  be  ex- 
cluded, and  both  of  which  are  comprehended  in  the  English 
phrase,  the  true  God,  or  retaining  more  exactly  the  form  of  the 
original,  l/i"  God  of  truth.  This  Hebrew  word  ,. is  retained  in 
the  Greek  of  the  New  Testament,  not  only  as  a  particle  of  as- 
severation, but  in  a  still  more  remarkable  manner  as  a  name 
of  Christ  (Kev.  1.18.  3:14),  with  obvious  reference  to  the  case 
before  us  ;  and  there  must  be  something  more  than  blind  chance 
in  the  singular  coincidence  thus  brought  to  light  between  this 
application  of  the  phrase  and  the  sense  which  has  been  put  upon 
the  foreguing  verse,  as  relating  to  the  adoption  of  the  Christian 
name  by  the  church  or  chosen  people.  As  applied  to  Christ, 
the  name  has  been  well  explained  to  describe  him  as  veri/  God, 
as  a  witness  to  the  truth,  as  the  substance  or  reality  of  the  legal 
shadows,  and  as  the  fulfiUer  of  the  divine  promises.  The  last 
clause  gives  the  reason  for  the  application  of  the  title,  God  of 
truth,  viz  because  in  his  deliverance  of  his  people  he  will  prove 
himself  to  be  the  true  God  in  both  senses,  truly  divine  and  em- 
inently faithful.  This  proof  will  be  afforded  by  the  termina- 
tion of  those  evils  which  the  sins  of  his  own  people  once  ren- 
dered necessary. 

17.  For  lo  I  (am)  creating  (or  about  to  create)  new  heavens  and 
a  new  earth,  and  the  former  {things)  shall  not  be  remembered^  and 
shall  not  come  up  into  the  mind  (literally,  on  the  heart).  Of  the 
whole  verse  there  are  several  distinct  interpretations.  One  un- 
derstands it  as  predicting  an  improvement  in  the  a'r  and  soil, 
conducive  to  longevity  and  uninterrupted  health  ;  just  as  a  mod- 


430  CHAPTER    LXV. 

em  writer  might  describe  the  vast  improvement  in  any  European 
country  since  ancient  times,  by  saying  that  the  heaven  and  the 
earth  are  new.  A  second  explanation  of  the  verse  is  that  which 
makes  it  a  prediction  of  the  renovation  of  the  present  eartli  with 
its  skies,  etc.  after  the  day  of  judgment.  A  third  is  that 
which  regards  it  as  a  figurative  prophecy  of  changes  in  the 
church,  according  to  a  certain  systematic  explication  of  the  sev- 
eral parts  of  the  material  universe  as  symbols.  Better  than  all 
these,  because  requiring  less  to  be  assumed,  and  more  in  keep- 
ing with  the  usage  of  prophetic  language,  is  the  explanation  of 
the  verse  as  a  promise  or  prediction  of  entire  change  in  the  ex- 
isting state  of  things,  the  precise  nature  of  the  change  and  of 
the  means  by  which  it  shall  be  brought  about  forming  no  part 
of  the  revelation  here.  That  the  words  ai'e  not  inapplicable  to 
a  revolution  of  a  moral  and  spiritual  nature,  we  may  learn  from 
Paul's  analogous  description  of  the  change  wrought  in  conver- 
sion (2  Cor.  5:17.  Gal.  6  :  15),  and  from  Peter's  application  of 
this  very  passage.  "  Nevertheless  we,  according  to  his  promise, 
look  for  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth  wherein  dwelleth  right- 
eousness (2  Peter  3  :  13)."  That  the  words  have  such  a  mean- 
ing even  here,  is  rendered  probable  by  the  last  clause,  the  ob- 
livion of  the  former  state  of  things  being  much  more  naturally 
connected  with  moral  and  spiritual  changes  than  with  one  of  a 
material  nature. 

18.  But  rejoice  and  be  glad  unto  eternity  {in)  that  which  I  [am) 
creating^  for  lo  1  {am)  creating  Jerusalem  a  joy^  and  her  people  a 
rejoicings  i.  e.  a  subject  or  occasion  of  it.  It  would  be  highly 
arbitrary  to  explain  ivhat  I  create  in  this  place,  as  different  from 
the  creation  in  the  verse  preceding.  It  is  there  said  that  a  cre- 
ation shall  take  place.  It  is  here  enjoined  upon  God's  people 
to  rejoice  in  it.  But  here  the  creation  is  declared  to  be  the 
making  of  Jerusalem  a  joy  and  Israel  a  rejoicing.  Now  the 
whole  analogy  of  the  foregoing  prophecies  leads  to  the  conclu- 


CHAPTER    LXV.  431 

sion  that  this  means  the  exaltation  of  the  church  or  chosen 
people  ;  and  the  same  analogy  admits  of  that  exaltation  being 
represented  as  a  revolution  in  the  frame  of  nature.  On  the 
other  hand,  a  literal  prediction  of  new  heavens  and  new  earth 
would  scarcely  have  been  followed  by  a  reference  merely  to  the 
church  ;  and  if  Jerusalem  and  Zion  be  explained  to  mean  the 
literal  Jerusalem  and  the  restored  Jews,  the  only  alternative  is 
then  to  conclude  that  as  soon  as  they  return  to  Palestine,  it 
and  the  whole  earth  are  to  be  renewed,  or  else  that  what  re- 
lates to  Jerusalem  and  Israel  is  literal,  and  what  relates  to  the 
heavens  and  the  earth  metaphorical,  although,  as  we  have  just 
seen,  the  connection  of  the  verses  renders  it  necessary  to  re- 
gard the  two  events  as  one.  From  all  these  incongruities  we 
are  relieved  by  understanding  the  whole  passage  as  a  poetical 
description  of  a  complete  and  glorious  change. 

19.  And  I  will  rejoice  m  Jerusalem^  and  joy  in  my  peojyie;  and 
there  shall  not  be  heard  in  her  again  the  voice  of  weeping  and  the 
voice  of  crying.  Considered  as  the  language  of  the  Prophet 
himself,  this  would  express  his  sympathetic  interest  in  the  joyous 
changes  which  awaited  his  people.  But  such  an  application 
would  be  wholly  arbitrary,  as  Jehovah  is  undoubtedly  the 
speaker  in  the  foregoing  verse,  where  he  claims  creative  power ; 
and  even  here  there  is  an  implication  of  divine  authority  in  the 
promise  that  weeping  shall  no  more  be  heard  in  her.  There  is 
something  very  beautiful  in  the  association  of  ideas  here  ex- 
pressed. God  shall  rejoice  in  his  people,  and  they  shall  rejoice 
with  him.  They  shall  no  longer  know  what  grief  is,  because 
he  shall  cease  to  grieve  over  them ;  their  former  distresses 
shall  be  forgotten  by  them  and  forever  hidden  from  his  eyes. 

20.  There  shall  be  no  more  from  there  an  iifant  nf  days,  and  an 
old  man  toho  shall  not  fulfil  his  days;  for  the  child  a  hundred 
years  old  shall  die,  and  the  sinner  a  hundred  years  old  shall  be 


432  CHAPTER   LXV. 

accursed.  The  strict  translation  tkcncc  {from  there)  is  not  only 
admissible  but  necessary  to  the  sense.  It  does  not,  however, 
mean  springing  or  proceeding  thence,  but  taken  away  thence, 
or  carried  thence  to  burial.  It  thus  denotes  that  none  shall 
die  there  in  infancy.  All  the  modern  writers  are  agreed  as  to 
the  literal  meaning  of  this  last  clause,  though  they  differ  as  to 
the  relation  of  its  parts.  Some  regard  it  as  a  synonymous 
parallelism,  and  understand  the  sense  to  be  that  he  who  dies  a 
hundred  years  old  will  be  considered  as  dying  young,  and  by  a 
special  curse  from  Grod,  interrupting  the  ordinary  course  of 
nature.  Others  make  the  parallelism  antithetic,  and  contrast 
the  child  with  the  sinner.  Perhaps  the  true  view  of  the  passage 
is,  that  it  resumes  the  contrast  drawn  in  vs.  13-15  between  the 
servants  of  Jehovah  and  the  sinners  there  addressed.  Vs.  16-19 
may  then  be  regarded  as  a  parenthetical  amplification.  As  if 
he  had  said :  My  servants  shall  eat,  but  ye  shall  be  hungry ; 
my  servants  shall  drink,  but  ye  shall  be  thirsty ;  my  servants 
shall  rejoice,  but  ye  shall  mourn  ;  my  servants  shall  be  just  be- 
ginning life  when  ye  are  driven  out  of  it ;  among  the  former,  ho 
■who  dies  a  hundred  years  old  shall  die  a  child ;  among  you,  he 
who  dies  at  the  same  age  shall  die  accursed.  On  the  whole, 
however,  the  most  natural  meaning  is  the  one  already  mentioned 
as  preferred  by  most  modern  writers.  Premature  death,  and 
even  death  in  a  moderate  old  age,  shall  be  unknown ;  he  who 
dies  a  hundred  years  old  shall  be  considered  either  as  dying  in 
childhood,  or  as  cut  off  by  a  special  malediction.  The  whole  is 
a  highly  poetical  description  of  longevity,  to  be  explained  pre- 
cisely like  the  promise  of  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth  in  v.  17. 

21,  22.  And  they  shall  build  houses  and  inhabit  [them),  and 
shall  plant  vineyards  and  cat  the  fruit  of  them,  they  shall  not  build 
and  another  inhabit,  tliey  shall  not  plant  and  another  eat;  for  as 
the  days  of  a  tree  [shall  be)  the  days  of  my  people,  and  the  work  of 
their  hands  my  chosen  ones  shall  wear  out  (or  survive.)     This  is  a 


CHAPTER   LXV.  433 

promise  of  security  and  permanent  enjoyment,  clothed  in  ex- 
pressions drawn  from  the  promises  and  thrcatenings  of  the  Mo- 
saic law.  By  the  age  of  a  tree  is  generally  understood  the  great 
age  which  some  species  are  said  to  attain,  such  as  the  oak,  the  Q,- 
banyan,  etc.  The  essential  idea  is  ^^ijkjihat  of  permanent  con-  ^ 
tinuauce,  and  the  figures  here  used  to  express  it  make  it  still 
more  probable  that  in  the  whole  foregoing  context  the  predictions 
are  to  be  figuratively  understood. 

23.  The,y  shall  not  labour  in  vain,  and  they  shall  not  bring  forth 
for  terror ;  for  the  seed  of  the  blessed  of  Jehovah  are  they,  and  their 
offspring  with  them.  The  sense  of  sudden  destruction  given  to 
nbna  by  some  modern  writers,  is  a  mere  conjecture  from  the 
context,  and  no  more  correct  than  the  translation  curse,  which 
others  derive  from  an  Arabic  analogy.  The  Hebrew  word 
properly  denotes  extreme  agitatioti  and  ylarm.  and  the  meaning 
of  the  clause  is  that  they  shall  not  bring  forth  children  merely 
to  be  subjects  of  distressing  solicitude. 

24.  And  it  shall  be  (or  co?ne  to  pass),  thai  they  shall  not  yd  have 
called  and  I  loill  ansiver,  yet  (shall)  they  {be)  speaking  and  I  will 
hear.  A  strong  expression  of  God's  readiness  to  hear  and 
answer  prayer,  not  a  mere  promise  that  it  shall  be  heard  (like 
that  in  Jer.  29  :  12.  Zech.  13:9),  but  an  assurance  that  it 
shall  be  granted  before  it  is  heard.  The  nearest  parallel  is 
Matt.  6  .  8,  where  our  Lord  himself  says,  Your  Father  knoweth 
what  things  ye  have  need  of.  before  ye  ask  him.  (Compare 
ch.  30  :  19.  58  :9.  Ps.  145  :  18,  19.) 

25.  The  wolf  and  the  lamb  shall  feed  as  one,  and  the  lion  like 
the  ox  shall  eat  straw,  and  the  serpent  dust  (for)  his  food.  They 
shall  not  hurt  and  they  shall  not  corrupt  (or  destroy)  in  all  my  holy 
mountain,  saith  Jehovah.  The  promise  of  a  happy  change  is 
wound  up  in  the  most  appropriate  manner  by  repeating  the 

VOL.  II. — 19 


434  CHAPTER    LXVI. 

prophecy  in  ch.  11:  6-9,  that  all  hurtful  influences  shall  for- 
ever cease  in  the  holy  hill  or  church  of  God.  Some  suppose  an 
allusion  to  the  popular  belief  that  serpents  feed  on  dust  because 
they  creep  upon  the  ground,  and  understand  the  prophecy  to 
be  that  they  shall  henceforth  be  contented  with  this  food  and 
cease  to  prey  on  men  or  other  animals.  But  this  would  be  too 
low  a  promise  for  the  contest,  since  a  very  small  part  of  the 
evils  which  men  suffer  can  arise  from  this  cause.  The  true 
sense  seems  to  be  that  in  accordance  with  the  serpent's  ancient 
doom,  he  shall  be  rendered  harmless,  robbed  of  his  favourite 
nutriment,  and  made  to  bite  the  dust  at  the  feet  of  his  con- 
queror. (Gen.  3:15.  Rom.  16  :  20.  1  John  3  :  8.  Compare 
Isaiah  49  :  24.)  The  last  clause  resolves  the  figures  of  the  first. 
The  verbs  are  therefore  to  be  understood  indefinitely,  as  in 
ch.  11:9;  or  if  they  be  referred  to  the  animals  previously 
mentioned,  it  is  only  a  symbolical  or  tropical  expression  of  the 
same  idea.  The  form  of  expression  is  the  same  in  either  case, 
except  that  what  begins  a  verse  in  the  eleventh  chapter  here 
concludes  one. 


I^^.l^-itsi- 


CHAPTER    LXYI. 

This  chapter  winds  up  the  prophetic  discourse  with  an  ex- 
press prediction  of  the  change  of  dispensations,  and  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  difference  between  them.  Jehovah  will  no  longer 
dwell  in  temples  made  with  hands,  v.  1.  Every  sincere  and 
humble  heart  shall  be  his  residence,  v.  2.  The  ancient  sacrifi- 
ces, though  divinely  instituted,  will  henceforth  be  as  hateful  as 
the  rites  of  idolatry,  v.  3.  They  who  still  cling  to  the  abro- 
gated ritual  will  be  fearfully  but  righteously  requited,  v.  4. 


CHAPTER    LX VI.  435 

The  true  Israel,  cast  out  by  these  deluded  sinners,  shall  ere 
long  be  glorified,  and  the  carnal  Israel  fearfully  rewarded,  vs. 
5,  6.  The  ancient  Zion  may  already  be  seen  travailing  with  a 
new  and  glorious  dispensation,  vs.  7-9.  They  who  mourned 
for  her  seeming  desolation  now  rejoice  in  her  abundance  and 
her  honour,  vs.  10-14.  At  the  same  time  the  carnal  Israel 
shall  be  destroyed,  as  apostates  and  idolaters,  vs.  14-17.  The 
place  which  they  once  occupied  shall  now  be  filled  by  the  elect 
from  all  nations,  v.  18.  To  gather  these,  a  remnant  of  the  an- 
cient Israel  shall  go  forth  among  the  gentiles,  v.  19.  They 
shall  come  from  every  quarter  and  by  every  method  of  convey- 
ance, V.  20.  They  shall  be  admitted  to  the  sacerdotal  honours 
of  the  chosen  people,  v.  21.  This  new  dispensation  is  not  to 
be  temporary,  like  the  one  before  it,  but  shall  last  forever,  v. 
22.  While  the  spiritual  Israel  is  thus  replenished  from  all 
nations,  the  apostate  Israel  shall  perish  by  a  lingering  decay  in 
the  sight  of  an  astonished  world,  vs.  23,  24. 

1.  Thus  saith  Jehovah^  Tks  heavens  {are)  my  throne,  and  the 
earth  my  footstool  ;  where  is  (or  what  is)  the  hovse  ichich  yc.  will 
build  for  me,  and  where  is  (or  ^vhat  is)  the  place  of  my  rest  ?  liter- 
ally, the  place  my  rest,  i.  e.  the  place  which  is  or  can  be  my  rest 
or  permanent  abode.  The  same  term  is  elsewhere  applied  to 
the  temple,  as  distinguished  from  the  tabernacle  or  moveable 
sanctuary.  (See  2  Sam.  7:6.  2  Chron.  6  :  41.  Ps.  132  :  8.) 
All  interpreters  agree  that  this  question  implies  disapproba- 
tion of  the  building,  as  at  variance  with  the  great  truth  pro- 
pounded in  the  first  clause,  namely,  that  the  frame  of  nature 
is  the  only  material  temple  worthy  of  Jehovah.  This  obvious 
relation  of  the  clauses  is  sufficient  of  itself  to  set  aside  two  of 
the  old  interpretations  of  the  passage.  The  first  is  that  which 
supposes  that  this  chapter  is  a  counterpart  to  the  first,  and 
that  the  Prophet  here  recurs  to  his  original  theme,  the  corrup- 
tions and  abuses  of  his  own  age.     But  besides  the  undisputed 


436  CHAPTER  LXVI. 

references  to  the  future  in  the  latter  part  of  this  very  chapter, 
it  has  been  conclusively  objected  to  the  theory  in  question, 
that  in  the  reigns  of  Ahaz  and  Hezekiah  there  could  be  no 
thought  of  building  or  rebuilding,  nor  even  of  repairing-  or 
adorning  the  temple,  but  rather  of  despoiling  it.  (2  Kings 
16  :  17,  18.  18  :  15.)  The  same  objection  lies  against  the  theory, 
that  this  chapter  was  intended  to  console  the  pious  Jews 
who  were  debarred  from  the  customary  public  worship  during 
the  profanation  of  the  temple  by  Antiochus  Epiphanes.  In 
neither  of  these  cases  could  there  be  occasion  for  objecting  to 
the  building  or  rebuilding  of  the  temple.  That  exposition 
is  most  probably  the  true  one  which  assumes  the  most  intimate 
connection  of  the  chapters  here,  and  is  least  dependent  upon 
forced  divisions  and  arbitrary  intervals  crowded  with  imaginary 
facts,  e  g.  that  in  the  interval  between  these  chapters  the  tribes 
of  Benjamin  and  Judah  had  resolved  to  exclude  the  others 
from  all  participation  in  the  rebuilding  of  the  temple,  and  that 
the  passage  now  before  us  was  intended  to  reprove  them  for 
their  want  of  charity ;  as  if  this  end  could  be  accomplished  by 
proclaiming  the  worthlessness  of  all  material  temples,  which  is 
tantamount  to  saying,  why  do  you  refuse  to  let  your  country- 
men assist  in  the  rebuilding  of  the  temple,  since  no  temples 
are  of  any  value?  The  best  refutation  of  this  and  other 
forced  interpretations  is  afforded  by  a  simple  statement  of  the 
true  sense.  Having  held  up  in  every  point  of  view  the  true 
design,  mission,  and  vocation  of  the  church  or  chosen  people, 
its  relation  to  the  natural  descendants  of  Abraham,  the  causes 
which  required  that  the  latter  should  be  stripped  of  their  pecu- 
liar privileges,  and  the  vocation  of  the  Gentiles  as  a  part  of  the 
divine  plan  from  its  origin,  the  Prophet  now  addresses  the 
apostate  and  unbelieving  Jews  at  the  close  of  the  old  dispen- 
sation, who,  instead  of  preparing  for  the  general  extension  of 
the  church  and  the  exchange  of  ceremonial  for  spiritual  wor- 
ship, were  engaged  in  the  rebuilding  and  costly  decoration  of 


CHAPTER    LXVI.  437 

the  temple  at  Jerusalem.  The  pride  and  interest  in  this  great 
public  work,  felt  not  only  by  the  Herods  but  by  all  the  Jews 
is  clear  from  incidental  statements  of  the  Scriptuns  (John  2  : 
20.  Matt.  24  :  1),  as  well  as  from  the  ample  and  direct  asser- 
tions of  Josephus.  That  the  nation  should  have  been  thus  oc- 
cupied precisely  at  the  time  when  the  Messiah  came,  is  one  of 
those  agreements  between  prophecy  and  history  which  cannot 
be  accounted  for  except  upon  the  supposition  of  a  providential 
and  designed  assimilation.  To  the  benefit  of  this  coincidence 
the  exposition  which  has  last  been  given  is  entitled,  and  by 
means  of  it  the  probabilities,  already  great,  may  be  said  to  be 
converted  into  certainties,  or  if  anything  more  be  needed  for 
this  purpose  it  will  be  afforded  by  the  minuter  points  of  sim- 
ilarity which  will  be  presented  in  the  course  of  the  interpreta- 
tion. One  advantage  of  this  exposition  is  that  it  accounts  for 
the  inference  here  drawn  fro^n  a  doctrine  which  was  known  to 
Solomon  and  publicly  announced  by  him  (1  "Kings  8  :  27). 
It  may  be  asked,  then,  why  this  truth  did  not  forbid  the 
erection  of  the  temple  at  first,  as  well  as  its  gorgeous  recon 
struction  in  the  time  of  Christ,  The  answer  is,  that  it  was 
necessary  for  a  temporary  purpose,  but  when  this  temporary 
purpose  was  accomplished  it  became  not  only  useless  but  un- 
lawful. Henceforth  the  worship  was  to  be  a  spiritual  worship, 
the  church  universally  diffused,  and  the  material  sanctuary  no 
longer  an  earthly  residence  for  God  but  a  convenient  place  of 
meeting  for  his  people. 

2.  And  all  these  my  own  hand  made^  and  all  these  were  (or 
are),  sailh  Jehovah ;  and  to  this  one  will  I  look^  to  the  ajjlicted  and 
contrite  in  spirit  and  tremblinff  at  my  roord.  By  a.ll  these  it  is 
universally  admitted  that  we  are  to  understand  the  heavens 
and  the  earth,  of  which  he  claims  to  be  not  only  the  sovereign, 
as  in  the  preceding  verse,  but  the  creator.  The  next  expres- 
sion may  be  differently  understood.     The  reference  in  the  first 


4'38  CHAPTER  LXVI. 

clause  is  to  the  time  of  actual  creation,  my  hand  made  them  and 
they  were,  i.  e.  began  to  be.  (See  Gen.  1  :  3.  Ps.  33  :  9.)  Both 
tenses  of  the  verb  are  combined  to  express  the  same  idea  in 
Rev.  4:11.  It  is  important  to  the  just  interpretation  of  these 
verses  to  observe  the  climax  in  them.  First  the  temples  made 
by  men  are  contrasted  with  the  great  material  temple  of  the 
universe ;  then  this  is  itself  disparaged  by  Jehovah  as  his  own 
handiwork,  and  still  more  in  comparison  with  a  nobler  temple 
of  a  spiritual  nature,  the  renewed  and  contrite  heart  (See 
oh.  57  :  15.  2  Cor.  6  :  16.)  The  same  condescending  favour  is 
expressed  for  the  same  objects  elsewhere.  (Ps.  34  :  18.  138  :  6.) 
To  look  to,  is  to  have  regard  to,  and  implies  both  approbation 
and  affection.  (See  Gen.  4  :  4,  5.  Ex.  2  :  25.  Num..  16  :  15. 
Judg.  6:14.  Ps.  25  :  16.)  Contrite  or  broken  in  heart  or  spirit 
is  a  scriptural  description  of  the  subjects  of  divine  grace  in  its 
humbling  and  subduing  influences.   (Ch.  61  :  1.) 

3.  Slaying  the  ox,  smiting  a  man — sacrificing  the  sheep,  break- 
ing a  dog^s  neck — offering  an  oblation,  blood  of  swine — making  a 
memorial  of  incense,  blessing  vanity — also  they  have  chosen  their 
ways,  and  in  their  abominations  has  their  soul  delighted.  This 
translation,  although  scarcely  English,  will  convey  some  idea 
of  the  singular  form  of  the  original,  and  render  intelligible 
what  is  said  as  to  the  different  constructions  of  the  sentence. 
The  first  clause  consists  of  four  similar  members,  in  each  of 
which  are  coupled  a  form  of  sacrifice  under  the  Mosaic  law 
and  an  offering  which  according  to  that  law  was  inadmissible 
and  even  revolting.  The  ox  and  the  sheep  represent  the 
animal  sacrifices,  the  nnj'o  or  meal-offering  and  the  incense 
those  of  an  unbloody  nature.  The  verbs  connected  with  these 
Douns  are  likewise  all  selected  from  the  technical  vocabulary 
of  the  law.  Memorial  is  the  technical  name  of  a  certain  kind 
of  offering,  especially  of  incense  (Lev.  24  :  7)  with  or  without 
other   vegetable  substances   (Num.  5  :  26),  so  called  perhaps 


CHAPTERLXVI.  439 

because  the  fames  of  the  incense  were  conceived  of  as  ascend- 
ing into  heaven  and  reminding  God  of  the  worshipper.  The 
same  figure  was  then  transferred  to  prayers  and  other  spiritual 
offerings.  (See  Acts  10  :  4.)  Smiting  has  here,  as  often  else- 
where, the  emphatic  sense  of  wounding  mortally  or  killing. 
(Gen.  4:15.  Ex.  2  :  12.  Josh.  20  :  5.  1  Sam.  17  :  26.)  The 
dog  has  ever  been  regarded  in  the  east  as  peculiarly  unclean, 
and  in  that  light  is  coupled  with  the  swine,  not  only  in  the 
Bible  (Matt.  7  :  6.  2  Pet.  2  :  22),  but  by  Horace,  who  twice 
names  dog  and  swine  together  as  the  vilest  animals.  Siviue's 
blood  alone  is  without  a  verb  to  govern  it.  The  simplest  course 
is  to  repeat  the  leading  verb  of  the  same  member.  "iUSt  is  com- 
monly supposed  to  mean  an  idol,  as  it  does  in  a  few  places ; 
but  it  is  better  to  retain  its  generic  sense,  as  more  expressive. 
This  is  by  some  understood  to  be  vanity,  nonentity,  or  worth- 
lessness,  as  attributes  of  ido^s  ;  by  others,  injustice  or  iniquity 
in  general.  The  whole  phrase  is  commonly  explained  to  mean 
Messing  (i.  e.  praising  or  worshipping)  an  idol,  or  saluting  it  by 
kissing  (1  Kings  19:  18.  Job  31  :  27).  The  simplest  syntax 
is  to  supply  the  verb  of  existence,  and  thus  produce  a  series 
of  short  propositions :  He  that  slays  an  ox  smites  a  man,  etc. 
The  ancient  versions  all  supply  a  particle  of  likeness — he  that 
slays  an  ox  is  like  one  that  murders  a  man,  etc.  This  is 
adopted  by  most  of  the  modern  writers,  but  of  late  without 
supplying  anything,  the  words  being  taken  to  assert  not  mere 
resemblance  but  identity,  which  is  the  strongest  form  of  com- 
parison. It  is  certainly  more  expressive  to  say  that  an  offerer 
of  cattle  is  a  murderer,  than  to  say  that  he  is  like  one,  though 
the  latter  may  be  after  all  the  real  meaning.  He  is  a  mur- 
derer, i.  e.  God  so  esteems  him.  The  common  interpretation 
is  that  the  passage  relates  not  to  the  actual  practice  of  the 
abominations  mentioned,  but  to  the  practice  of  iniquity  in  gen- 
eral, which  renders  the  most  regular  and  costly  offerings  as 
hateful  to  Jehovah  as  the  most  abominable  rites  of  idolatry. 


440  CHAPTER   LXVI. 

The  general  doctrine  of  the  text  is  that  sacrifice  is  hateful  in 
the  sight  of  God  if  offered  in  a  wicked  spirit,  but  with  a  special 
reference  to  those  who  still  adhere  to  the  old  sacrifices  after 
the  great  sacrifice  for  sin  was  come  and  had  been  offered  once 
for  all.  Thus  understood  this  verse  extends  to  sacrifices  that 
which  the  foregoing  verses  said  of  the  temple,  after  the  change 
of  dispensations. 

4.  I  also  will  choose  their  vexations^  and  their  fear  I  will  bring 
upon  them ;  because  I  called  and  there  was  no  one  answering^  I 
spake  and  they  did  not  hear^  and  they  did  evil  in  my  eycs^  and 
that  which  I  delight  not  in  they  chose.  The  larger  part  of  this 
verse,  from  because,  to  the  end,  is  repeated  from  oh.  65  :  12, 
and  serves  not  only  to  connect  the  passages  as  parts  of  an  un- 
broken composition,  but  also  to  identify  the  subjects  of  dis- 
course in  the  two  places.  The  common  version  of  the  first 
Hebrew  noun  (^delusions)  seems  to  be  founded  on  a  misconcep- 
tion of  the  Vulgate  (illusion es).  which  was  probably  intended  to 
suggest  the  idea  of  derision  like  the  tunaLyfiuia  of  the  Sep- 
tuagint.  It  is  in  the  cognate  sense  of  petulance,  caprice,  that 
it  is  used  to  denote  children  in  ch.  3  :  4.  Their  fear  is  the  evil 
which  they  fear,  as  in  Prov.  10  :  24,  where  the  same  idea  is  ex- 
pressed almost  in  the  same  words. 

5.  Hear  the  word  of  Jehovah.,  ye  that  tremble  at  his  toord. 
Your  brethren  say.,  {those)  hating  yon  and  casting  you  out  for  my 
name's  sake,  Jehovah  will  be  glorified  and  we  shall  gaze  upon  your 
joy — and  they  shall  be  ashamed.  Trembling  at  (or  rather  to) 
Jehovah's  word  seems  to  mean  reverently  waiting  for  it.  Ye 
that  thus  expect  a  message  from  Jehovah,  now  receive  it. 
Hear  the  word  (or  promise)  of  Jehovah,  ye  that  wait  for  it 
with  trembling  confidence :  your  brethren  (the  unconverted 
Jews)  who  hate  you  and  cast  you  out  for  my  name's  sake,  have 
said  (in  so  doing),  '  Jehovah  will  be  glorious  (or  glorify  him- 


CHAPTER  LXVI.  441 

self  in  your  behalf  no  doubt),  and  we  shall  witness  your  salva- 
tion' (a  bitter  irony  like  that  in  ch.  5  :  19)  ;  but  tliey  (who 
thus  speak)  shall  themselves  be  confounded  (by  beholding  what 
they  now  consider  so  incredible).  Besides  the  clearness  and 
coherence  of  this  exposition  in  itself  considered,  and  its  per- 
fect harmony  with  what  we  have  arrived  at  as  the  true  sense 
of  the  whole  foregoing  context,  it  is  strongly  recommended  by 
remarkable  coincidences  with  the  New  Testament.  That  the 
unbelieving  Jews  might  still  be  called  the  brethren  of  the 
converts,  if  it  needed  either  proof  or  illustration,  might  derive 
it  from  Paul's  mode  of  address  to  them  in  Acts  22  :  I,  and  of 
reference  to  them  in  Rom.  9  :  3.  The  phrase  those  hating  you 
may  be  compared  with  John  15  :  18.  17  :  14.  Matt.  10  :  22. 
1  Thess.  2:14;  casting  you,  out  with  John  16:2;  for  my 
nami-i's  sake  with  Matt.  24  :  9  ;  to  which  may  be  added  the 
interesting  fact  that  the  x^rb  n-r:  and  its  derivatives  are 
used  to  this  day  by  the  Jews  in  reference  to  excommuni- 
cation. Thus  unde.rstood  the  verse  is  an  assurance  to  the 
chosen  remnant  in  whom  the  true  Isi'ael  was  to  be  perpetu- 
ated, that  although  their  unbelieving  countrymen  might  cast 
them  out  with  scorn  and  hatred  for  a  time,  their  spite 
should  soou  be  utterly  confounded.  The  great  truth  involved 
in  the  change  of  dispensations  may  be  signally  developed  and 
exemplified  hereafter,  as  in  the  case  of  the  restored  Jews  who 
receive  the  doctrine  of  the  gospel  and  their  brethren  Avho 
persist  in  endeavouring  to  establish  the  old  ritual ;  but  we 
must  not  on  that  account  abandon  the  fulfilment  which  has 
actually  taken  place. 

6.  A  voice  of  tumult  from  the  city  !  A  voice  from  the  temple  ! 
The  voice  of  Jehovah,  rendering  requital  to  his  enemies/  The 
Hebrew  word  lixttj  is  never  applied  elsewhere  to  a  joyful  cry  or 
a  cry  of  lamentation,  but  to  the  tumult  of  war,  the  rushing 
sound  of  armies  and  the  shock  of  battle,  in  which  sense  it  is  re- 

19* 


442  CHAPTER   LXVI. 

peatedly  employed  by  Isaiah.  The  enemies  here  mentioned 
must  of  course  be  those  who  had  just  been  described  as  the 
despisers  and  persecutors  of  their  brethren,  and  whose  con- 
fusion after  being  threatened  generally  in  the  verse  preceding 
is  here  graphically  represented  in  detail.  The  description 
therefore  cannot  without  violence  be  understood  of  foreign  or 
external  enemies.  In  strict  adherence  to  the  usage  of  the 
words  and  to  the  requisitions  of  the  context,  both  immediate 
and  remote,  the  verse  may  be  applied  to  the  giving  up  of  Zion 
and  the  temple  to  its  enemies,  as  a  final  demonstration  that  the 
old  economy  was  at  an  end,  and  that  .the  sins  of  Israel  were 
now  to  be  visited  on  that  generation.  The  assailants  of  Jerusa- 
lem and  of  the  Jews  were  now  no  longer  those  of  God  himself, 
but  rather  chosen  instruments  to  execute  his  vengeance  on  his 
enemies,  the  unbelieving  Jews  themselves.  The  tumult  com- 
pi-ehends  the  whole  confusion  of  the  siege  and  conquest,  and  a 
better  commentary  on  this  brief  but  grand  prediction  cannot  be 
desired  than  that  afi"orded  by  Josephus  in.  his  narrative  of  what 
may  be  regarded  as  not  only  the  most  drea'dful  siege  on  record 
but  in  some  respects  the  most  sublime  and  critical  conjuncture 
in  all  history,  because  coincident  with  the  transition  from  the 
abrogated  system  of  the  old  economy  to  the  acknowledged  intro- 
duction of  the  new,  a  change  of  infinitely  more  extensive  influ- 
ence on  human  character  and  destiny  than  many  philosophical 
historians  have  been  willing  to  admit  or  even  able  to  discover. 

7.  Before  she  travailed  she  brought  forth,  before  her  pai?i  carne 
she  was  delivered  of  a  male.  All  interpreters  agree  that  the 
mother  here  described  is  Zion,  that  the  figure  is  essentially  the 
same  as  in  ch.  49  :  21,  and  that  in  both  cases  an  increase  of 
numbers  is  represented  as  a  birth,  while  in  that  before  us  the 
additional  idea  of  suddenness  is  expressed  by  the  figure  of  an 
unexpected  birth.  The  difference  between  the  cases  is  that  in 
the  other  a  plurality  of  children  is  described,  while  in  this  the 


CHAPTER    LX  VI.  443 

whole  increase  is  represented  in  the  aggregate  as  a  single  birth. 
As  to  the  specification  of  the  sex,  some  regard  it  as  a  mere 
illustration  of  the  oriental  predilection  for  male  children,  not 
intended  to  have  any  special  emphasis,  while  others  make  it 
significant  of  strength  as  well  as  numbers  in  the  increase  of  the 
people.  As  to  the  application  of  the  passage  there  is  nothing 
in  the  terms  employed  which  can  determine  it,  but  it  must  fol- 
low the  sense  put  upon  the  foregoing  context  or  the  general 
hypothesis  of  the  interpreter.  The  parturition  is  a  figure  for 
the  whole  eventful  crisis  of  the  change  of  dispensations,  and 
the  consequent  change  in  the  condition  of  the  church.  This 
indestructible  ideal  person,  when  she  might  have  seemed  to  be 
reduced  to  nothing  by  the  defection  of  the  natural  Israel,  is 
vastly  and  suddenly  augmented  by  the  introduction  of  the 
gentiles,  a  succession  of  events  which  is  here  most  appropriately 
represented  as  the  birth  of  a  male  child  without  the  pains  of 
childbirth, 

8.  Who  hath  heard  such  a  thmg  1  ivho  hath  seefi  such  things  ? 
Shall  a  land  be  brought  forth  in  one  dai/,  or  shall  a  nation  be  born 
at  oncel  For  Zio?i  hath  travailed^  she  hath  also  brought  forth  her 
children.  This  verse,  in  the  form  of  pointed  interrogation, 
represents  the  event  previously  mentioned  as  without  example. 
The  terms  of  the  sentence  are  exceedingly  appropriate  both  to 
the  return  from  Babylon  and  the  future  restoration  of  the  Jews, 
but  admit  at  the  same  time  of  a  wider  application  to  the  change 
of  dispensations  as  the  birth  of  the  church  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. The  reference  is  merely  to  the  short  time  required  for 
the  birth,  as  if  he  had  said,  she  has  (already)  travailed,  she  has 
also  brought  forth. 

9.  Shall  I  bring  to  the  birth  and  not  cause  to  bring  forth  ?  saith 
Jehovah.  Or  am  I  the  one  causing  to  bring  forth,  and  shall  I  shut 
up  ?  saith  thy  God.     The  sense  now  put  ujpon  the  figure  by  the 


444  CHAPTER    LXVI. 

general  consent  of  interpreters,  is  that  he  who  begins  the  work 
may  be  expected  to  accomplish  it,  to  be  both  its  author  and  its 
finisher.  The  reason  why  it  is  expressed  in  this  form  is  not 
any  peculiar  adaptation  or  expressiveness  in  these  unusual 
metaphors,  but  simply  that  the  increase  of  the  church  had  been 
already  represented  as  a  birth,  and  the  additional  ideas  of  the 
■writer  are  expressed  without  a  change  of  figure.  The  precise 
connection  of  the  verse  with  that  before  it  seems  to  be  that  it 
extenuates  the  wonder  which  had  been  described,  by  represent- 
ing it  as  something  which  was  to  be  expected  in  the  case  sup- 
posed. That  is  to  say,  if  God  had  undertaken  to  supply  the 
place  of  what  his  church  had  lost  by  new  accessions,  the  extent 
and  suddenness  of  the  efiioct  could  not  be  matters  of  surprise. 
On  the  contrary,  it  would  have  been  indeed  surprising,  if  he 
who  began  the  change  had  stopped  it  short,  and  interfered  for 
the  prevention  of  his  own  designs.  With  the  metaphor  of  this 
verse  and  the  one  preceding,  compare  ch.  26  :  18. 

10.  Rejoice  ye  ivith  Jerusalem  and  exult  in  her,  all  that  love  her; 
be  glad  ivith  her  ivith  gladness,  all  those  mourning  for  her.  This 
is  an  indirect  prediction  of  the  joyful  change  awaiting  Zion, 
clothed  in  the  form  of  a  command  or  invitation  to  her  friends 
to  rejoice  with  her.  Different  interpreters,  according  to  their 
various  exegetical  hypotheses,  explain  this  as  a  prophecy  of 
Israel's  ancient  restoration  from  the  Babylonish  exile,  or  of 
their  future  restoration  from  the  present  exile  and  di.spersion, 
or  of  the  glorious  enlargement  of  the  church  after  the  excision 
of  the  unbelieving  Jews  and  the  throes  of  that  great  crisis  in 
which  old  things  passed  away  and  the  new  heavens  and  the  new 
sarth  came  into  existence ;  which  last  I  believe  to  be  the  true 
sense,  for  reasons  which  have  been  already  fully  stated. 

11.  That  ye  may  suclc  and  be  satisfied  from  the  breast  of  her 
consolations,  that  ye  may  milk  out  and  enjoy  yourselves  from  the 


CHAPTER    LXVI.  445 

fulness  (or  the  full  breast)  of  her  glory.  Those  who  have  sympa- 
thized with  Zion  in  her  joys  and  sorrows  shall  partake  of  her 
abundance  and  her  glory.  The  figure  of  a  mother  is  continued, 
but  beautifully  varied.  Suck  and  be  satisfied.^  milk  out  and  enjoy 
yourselves.^  may  be  regarded  as  examples  of  hendiadys,  meaning 
suck  to  satiety  and  milk  out  with  delight ;  but  no  such  change  in 
the  form  of  the  translation  is  required  or  admissible.  Glory  in- 
cludes wealth  or  abundance,  but  much  more,  viz.  all  visible  su- 
periority or  excellence. 

12.  For  thus  saith  Jehovah,  Behold  I  am  extending  to  her  peace 
like  a  river,  and  like  an  overflowing  stream  the  glory  of  nations — 
and  ye  shall  suck — on  the  side  shall  ye  be  borne,  and  on  the  knees 
shall  ye  be  dandled.  By  a  beautiful  figure  the  Prophet  repre- 
sents a  river  suddenly  or  gradually  widening  its  channel  or  its 
flow  until  it  reaches  to  a  certain  spot,  its  actual  submersion  be- 
ing not  expressed,  though  it  may  be  implied.  Peace  is  here  to 
be  taken  in  its  frequent  sense  of  welfare  or  prosperity.  (See 
above,  on  ch.  48  :  18.)  The  words  and  ye  shall  suck  are  added 
to  announce  a  resumption  of  the  figure  of  the  foregoing  verse. 
The  objects  of  address  in  this  verse  are  the  sons  of  Zion,  to  be 
gathered  from  all  nations. 

13.  As  a  man  whom  his  mother  comforteth,  so  tvill  I  comfort  you, 
and  in  Jerusalem  shall  ye  be  comfortixl.  The  image  is  essen- 
tially the  same  with  that  in  ch.  49:  15,  but  with  a  striking 
variation.  The  English  Version,  which,  in  multitudes  of  cases, 
inserts  man  where  the  original  expression  is  indefinite,  translat- 
ing nvdti;.  for  example,  always  no  ma?i,  here  reverses  the  pro- 
cess and  dilutes  a  ma?i  to  one.  The  same  liberty  is  taken  by 
many  other  versions  old  and  new,  occasioned  no  doubt  by  a  feel- 
ing of  the  incongruity  of  making  a  full-grown  man  the  subject 
of  maternal  consolations.  The  difficulty  might,  if  it  were  neces- 
sary, be  avoided  by  explaining  the  word  to  mean  a  maa-child. 


446  CHAPTER    LXV I. 

as  it  does  in  Gen.  4:1.  1  Sam.  1:11,  and  in  many  other  cases. 
But  the  truth  is  that  the  solecism,  which  has  been  so  carefully 
expunged  by  these  translators,  is  an  exquisite  trait  of  patri- 
archal manners,  in  their  primitive  simplicity.  Compare  Gen. 
24:67.  Judges  17:2.  1  Kings  2:19,  20,  and  the  affecting 
scenes  between  Thetis  and  Achilles  in  the  Iliad.  In  Jerusahm 
suggests  the  only  means  by  which  these  blessings  are  to  be  se- 
cured, viz.  a  union  of  affection  and  of  interest  with  the  Israel 
of  God,  to  whom  alone  they  are  promised. 

14.  And  ye  shall  see,  aiid  your  heart  shall  leap  {with  joy),  and 
your  bones  like  grass  shall  sprout,  and  the  hand  of  Jehovah  shall 
be  known  to  his  servants,  and  he  shall  be  indignant  at  his  enemies. 
The  object  of  address  still  continues  to  be  those  who  had  loved 
Zion,  and  had  mourned  for  her,  and  whom  God  had  promised  to 
comfort  in  Jerusalem.  They  are  here  assured  that  they  shall 
see  for  themselves  the  fulfilment  of  these  promises.  The  hand 
of  God  is  known  when  his  power  is  recognized  as  the  cause  of 
any  given  effect.  This  clause  is  important  as  affording  a  tran- 
sition from  the  promise  to  the  threatening,  in  accordance  with 
the  Prophet's  constant  practice  of  presenting  the  salvation  of 
God's  people  as  coincident  and  simultaneous  with  the  destruc- 
tion of  his  enemies. 

15.  For  la,  Jehovah  in  fire  will  come,  and  like  the  whirlwind  his 
chariots,  to  appease  in  fury  his  anger,  and  his  rebuke  in  flames  of 
fire.  This  is  an  amplification  of  the  brief  phrase  at  the  end  of 
V.  14.  In  fire,  that  is  enveloped  and  surrounded  by  it,  as  on 
Sinai.  (See  above,  ch.  29  :  6.  30  :  27,  30,  and  compare  Ps. 
50:3.)  The  second  clause  is  repeated  in  Jer.  4  :  13.  The 
points  of  comparison  are  swiftness  and  violence.  The  allusion 
is  to  the  two-wheeled  chariots  of  ancient  warfare.  Some  sup- 
pose angels  to  be  meant,  on  the  authority  of  Ps.  68  :  17.  (Com- 
pare Ps.  18:10.  2  Kings  2:11.  6:17.  Hab.  3  :  8.)     The  Eng- 


CHAPTER    LXVI.  447 

lisli  Version  supplies  toith  before  his  chariots^  but  this  is  foibid- 
den  by  the  order  of  the  words  in  Hebrew,  and  unnecessary,  as 
the  chariots  may  be  construed  either  with  shall  come  or  with  the 
substantive  verb  are  or  shall  be.  God's  rebuke  is  often  coupled 
with  his  wrath  as  its  effect  or  practical  manifestation.  (See 
above,  ch.  17  :  13.  51  :  20.  54  :  9.)  The  whole  verse  represents 
Jehovah,  considered  in  relation  to  his  enemies,  as  a  consuming 
fire.     (Deut.  4  :  24.  Heb.  12  :  29.     Comp.  2  Thess.  1  :  8.) 

16.  For  by  fire  is  Jehovah  striving  and  by  his  sword  icith  all 
flesh,  and  multiplied  (or  many)  arc  the  slain  of  Jehovah.  Fire 
and  sword  are  mentioned  as  customary  means  of  destruction, 
especially  in  war.  The  reflexive  form  has  in  the  first  clause  its 
usual  sense  of  reciprocal  judgment,  litigation,  or  contention  in 
.general.  (See  above,  ch.  43  :  2G.)  A  sure  clue  to  the  primary 
application  of  the  verse  before  us  is  afforded  by  our  Saviour's 
words  in  Matt.  24  :  22,  where  in  speaking  of  the  speedy  de- 
struction of  Jerusalem  he  says  that  excepting  the  elect  no  flesh 
should  be  saved,  i.  e.  no  portion  of  the  Jewish  race  but  those 
who  were  ordained  to  everlasting  life  through  faith  in  him. 
This  application  of  Isaiah's  prophecy  agrees  exactly  with  the 
view  already  taken  of  the  whole  preceding  context  as  relating 
to  that  great  decisive  crisis  in  the  history  of  the  church  and  of 
the  world,  the  dissolution  of  the  old  economy  and  the  inaugu- 
ration of  the  new.  According  to  this  view  of  the  passage  what 
is  her6  said  of  fire,  sword,  and  slaughter,  was  fulfilled  not  only 
as  a  figurative  prophecy  of  general  destruction,  but  in  its  strict- 
est sense  in  the  terrific  carnage  which  attended  the  extinction 
of  the  Jewish  state,  and  of  which,  more  emphatically  than  of 
any  other  event  outwardly  resembling  it,  it  might  be  said  that 
many  were  the  slain  of  Jehovah. 

17.  The  (men)  hallowing  themselves  a?id  .the  (men)  cleansing 
themselves  to  (or  towards)  the  gardens  after  one  in  the  midst,  eaters 


448  CHAPTER    LXVI. 

of  sicme's  flesh  and  vermin  and  movse,  together  shall  cease  (or  r.07ne 
to  an  e?id),  sailh  Jehovah.  This  verse  is  closely  connected  with 
the  one  before  it,  and  explains  who  are  meant  by  the  slam  of 
Jehovah.  It  is  almost  universally  agreed  that  these  are  here 
described  as  gross  idolaters.  But  even  among  those  who  so 
understand  it.  there  is  no  small  difference  of  opinion  in  relation 
to  particular  expressions.  The  class  of  persons  meant  is  ob- 
viously the  same  as  that  described  in  ch.  65  :  3,  5,  the  gardens 
and  the  swine's  flesh  being  common  to  both.  The  reflexive  par- 
ticiples in  the  first  clause  are  technical  terms  for  ceremonial 
purification  under  the  law  of  Moses,  here  transferred  to  heathen 
rites.  The  words  aftrr  one  are  those  which  constitute  the  prin- 
cipal difficulty  of  the  sentence.  This  some  have  undertaken  to 
remove  by  emendations  of  the  text,  so  as  to  mean  far  back, 
one  by  one,  or  one  after  the  other.  Some,  without  a  change 
of  text,  explain  the  numeral  o/t",  as  agreeing  either  with 
grove,  or  with  pool,  or  with  tree,  or  with  priest  or  priestess. 
This  last  may  be  given  as  the  current  explanation,  in  which 
an  allusion  is  supposed  to  an  idolatrous  procession  led  by 
a  hierophant.  Others  apply  one  to  the  idol,  so  called  in 
contempt,  one  being  then  equivalent  to  the  Latin  quidam, 
nescio  quern.  Others  treat  'inx  as  the  proper  name  of  a  Syrian 
idol,  called  by  Sanchoniathon  ".tdMSo;  and  by  Pliny  and 
Macrobius  Adad^  the  last  writer  adding  expressly  that  the 
name  means  one.  Henderson  calls  attention  to  a  striking  coin- 
cidence between  the  use  of  this  word  here  and  the  constant  ap- 
plication of  the  cognate  one  in  Arabic  by  the  Mohammedans  to 
God  as  being  One,  in  express  contradiction  to  the  doctrine  of 
the  Trinity.  Besides  the  difiiculty  which  attends  the  absolute 
vise  of  the  numeral  without  a  noun,  there  is  another  of  the  same 
kind  arising  from  the  like  use  of  midst  without  anything  to  limit 
or  determine  it,  as  meaning  the  interior  or  court  of  an  oriental 
house,  or  the  midst  of  the  gi'ove  or  garden,  where  the  idol  was 
commonly  erected,  or  the  midst  of  the  crowd  or  procession  of 


CHAPTER    LXVI.  449 

worshippers.  As  to  the  eating  of  swine's  flesh,  see  above,  on 
ch.  65  :  4.  yp_'Vi  may  either  have  its  generic  sense  of  ahoinina- 
tiou  or  abominable  food,  or  the  more  specific  sense  of  flesh  of- 
fered to  idols,  or  of  the  smaller  unclean  animals,  whether  quad- 
rupeds, insects,  or  reptiles,  to  which  it  is  specially  applied  in 
the  Law.  In  favour  of  the  more  specific  meaning  is  the  colloca- 
tion of  the  word  between  swine's  flesh  and  the  mouse,  or,  as  the 
modern  writers  understand  the  word,  the  jerboa  or  oriental 
field-mouse,  which  is  said  to  be  eaten  by  the  Arabs.  The  ac- 
tual use  of  any  kind  of  mouse  in  the  ancient  heathen  rites  has 
never  been  established,  the  modern  allegations  of  the  fact  being 
founded  on  the  place  before  us.  As  to  the  application  of  the  pas- 
sage, it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  the  advocates  of  any  exegetical 
hypothesis  will  here  abandon  it  if  able  by  any  means  to  reconcile 
it  with  the  Prophet's  language.  I  see  no  cause  to  change  my 
previous  conclusion  that  ^his  prophecy  relates  to  the  excision 
of  the  Jews  and  the  vocation  of  the  gentiles,  or  in  other  words 
the  change  of  dispensations  The  apparent  diificulty  which 
arises  from  the  description  of  such  gross  idolatry  as  all  admit 
to  have  had  no  existence  among  the  Jews  after  their  return 
from  exile,  is  removed  by  the  consideration  that  the  Jews  were 
cast  off  not  for  the  sins  of  a  single  generation,  but  of  the  race 
throughout  its  ancient  history,  and  that  idolatry  was  not  only 
one  of  these,  but  that  which  most  abounded  in  the  days  of 
the  Prophet ;  so  that  when  he  looks  forward  to  the  great  ca- 
tastrophe and  paints  its  causes,  he  naturally  dips  his  pencil 
in  the  colours  which  were  nearest  and  most  vivid  to  his  own 
perceptions,  without  meaning  to  exclude  from  his  description 
other  sins  as  great  or  greater  in  themselves,  which  afterwards 
supplanted  these  revolting  practices  as  the  besetting  national 
transgressions  of  apostate  Israel.  A  writer  in  the  early  days 
of  Wilbevforce  and  Clarkson,  in  denouncing  God's  wrath  upon 
England,  would  most  naturally  place  the  oppression  of  the  negro 
in  the  foreground  of  his  picture,  even  if  he  had  been  gifted  to 


450  CHAPTER    LXVI. 

foresee  that  this  great  evil  in  the  course  of  time  would  be  com- 
pletely banished  from  the  sight  of  men  by  new  forms  of  iniquity 
successively  usurping  its  conspicuous  position,  such  as  excess- 
ive luxury,  dishonest  speculation,  and  ambitious  encroachment 
on  the  rightful  possessions  of  inferior  powers  in  the  east.  If  it 
were  really  God's  purpose  to  destroy  that  mighty  kingdom  for 
its  national  offences,  he  would  not  lose  sight  of  ancient  half- 
forgotten  crimes,  because  they  have  long  since  given  place  to 
others  more  or  less  atrocious.  So  in  reference  to  Israel,  al- 
though the  generation  upon  whom  the  final  blow  fell  were 
hypocrites,  not  idolaters,  the  misdeeds  of,  their  fathers  entered 
into  the  account,  and  they  were  cast  off  not  merely  as  the  mur- 
derers of  the  Lord  of  Life,  but  as  apostates  who  insulted  Jeho- 
vah to  his  face  by  bowing  down  to  stocks  and  stones  in  groves 
and  gardens,  and  by  eating  swine's  flesh,  the  abomination,  and 
the  mouse.  And  as  a!l  this  was  included  in  the  grounds  of 
their  righteous  condemnation,  it  might  well  be  rendered  promi- 
nent in  some  of  the  predictions  of  that  great  catastrophe.  An- 
other possible  interpretation  of  the  passage,  in  direct  applica- 
tion to  the  unbelieving  Jews  who  were  contemporary  with  our 
Saviour,  is  obtained  by  supposing  an  allusion  to  v.  3,  where 
those  who  still  clung  to  the  abrogated  ritual  are  put  upon  a 
level  with  the  grossest  idolaters,  and  may  here  be  absolutely  so 
described,  just  as  the  rulers  and  people  of  Jerusalem  in  ch. 
1  : 9  are  addressed  directly  as  rulers  of  Sodom  and  people  of 
Gomorrah,  on  account  of  the  comparison  immediately  preced- 
ing. This  view  of  the  passage  is  undoubtedly  favoured  by  the 
mention  of  swine's  flesh  in  both  places,  which  would  naturally 
make  the  one  suggestive  of  the  other.  Neither  of  these  exe- 
getical  hypotheses  requires  the  assumption  of  imaginary  facts, 
such  as  the  practice  of  idolatry  by  the  Jews  in  exile,  or  their 
return  to  it  hereafter. 

1 8.  And  I — their  works  and  their  thoughts — it  is  come — to  gather 


CHAPTER    LXVI.  451 

all  the  nations  and  the  iongtoes — and  they  shall  come  and  see  my 
glory.  This  is  an  exact  transcript  of  the  Hebrew  sentence, 
the  grammatical  construction  of  which  has  much  perplexed 
interpreters.  In  this  obscurity  and  doubt  as  to  the  syntax,  there 
is  something  attractive  in  the  theory  which  supplies  nothing, 
but  regards  the  first  clause  as  a  series  of  broken  and  irregular 
ejaculations,  in  which  the  expression  of  the  thought  is  inter- 
rupted by  the  writer's  feelings.  Common  to  all  these  explana- 
tions is  the  general  assumption  that  the  words  and  thoughts  of 
the  persons  in  question  are  in  some  way  represented  as  the 
cause  or  ,the  occasion  of  the  gathering  mentioned  in  the  other 
clause.  The  use  of  the  word  tongues  as  an  equivalent  to  nationSy 
has  reference  to  national  distinctions  springing  from  diversity 
of  language,  and  is  founded  on  Gen.  10:5,  20,  31,  by  the  influ- 
ence of  which  passage  and  the  one  before  us  it  became  a  phrase 
of  frequent  use  in  Daniel,  \^hose  predictions  tui'n  so  much  upon 
the  calling  of  the  gentiles.  (Dan.  3  :  4,  7.  4  :  1.  5  :  19).  To 
sec  the  glory  of  Jehovah  is  a  phrase  repeatedly  used  elsewhere  to 
denote  the  special  manifestation  of  his  presence  and  his  power 
(ch.  40  :  5.  59  :  19.  GO  :  2),  and  is  applied  by  Ezekiel  to  the 
display  of  his  punitive  justice  in  the  sight  of  all  mankind 
(Ezek.  39  :  21).  As  we  have  seen  that  the  crimes  described  in 
the  foregoing  verses  are  not  those  of  the  heathen,  but  of  the 
apostate  Jews,  whose  deeds  and  thoughts  must  therefore  be 
intended  in  the  first  clause,  the  explanation  most  in  harmony 
with  this  immediate  context,  as  well  as  with  the  whole  di'ift  of 
the  prophecy  thus  far,  is  that  which  makes  the  verse  before  us 
a  distinct  prediction  of  the  calling  of  the  gentiles,  both  to  wit- 
ness the  infliction  of  God's  vengeance  on  the  Jews,  and  to  sup- 
ply their  places  in  his  church  or  chosen  people.  It  is  perhaps 
to  the  language  of  this  prophecy  that  Christ  himself  alludes  in 
Matt.  24  :  31.     (Compare  also  John  5  :  25.) 

19.   And  I  will  place  in  them  (or  among  them)  a  sign,  and  I  will 


452  CHAPTER   LXVI. 

send  of  them  survivors  (or  escaped  ones)  to  the  7iatio7is,  Tarshish, 
Pul,  and  Lud,  draivcrs  of  the  bow,  Tubal  and  Javan,  the  distant 
isles,  which  have  not  heard  my  fame  and  have  7iot  seen  my  glory, 
and  they  shall  declare  my  glory  among  the  nations.  Most  modern 
writers  agree  in  determining  the  sense  of  the  first  phrase  from 
that  which  it  evidently  has  in  Ex.  10  :  1,  2,  where  God  is  twice 
said  to  have  placed  his  signs  among  the  Egyptians,  with  evident 
allusion  to  the  plagues  as  miraculous  evidences  of  his  power. 
Explained  by  this  analogy,  the  clause  before  us  would  appear  to 
mean,  I  will  work  a  miracle  among  them  or  before  them.  The 
escaped,  as  in  ch.  4  :  3,  are  the  survivors  of  the  judgments  pre- 
viously mentioned.  These  are  sent  to  the  nations,  of  whom  some 
are  then  particularly  mentioned.  For  the  sense  of  Turshish, 
see  above,  on  ch.  60  :  9.  Its  use  here  may  be  regarded  as  de- 
cisive of  the  question  whether  it  denotes  the  sea,  since  Tarshish 
is  added  to  the  general  term  nations  precisely  as  the  other 
names  are  added  afterwards.  The  incongruity  of  this  transla- 
tion of  the  word  is  exhibited  without  disguise  in  the  Vulgate, 
ad  gcntes,  in  mare,  in  Africam,  etc.,  so  that  the  the  sea  stands 
first  in  a  catalogue  of  nations.  Pul  is  identified  by  Bochart 
with  an  island  in  the  Nile  on  the  frontier  of  Ethiopia  and 
Egypt.  Others  regard  it  as  an  orthographical  variation  or 
an  error  of  the  text  for  Put  or  Fhut,  which  is  elsewhere  joined 
with  Lud  (Jer.  46  :  9.  Ezek.  27  :  10)  and  repeatedly  written  in 
the  Septuagint  <I>ov8  (Gen.  10  :  6.  1  Chron.  1  :  8),  the  same 
form  which  that  version  here  employs.  All  agree  that  the 
name  belongs  to  Africa,  like  that  which  follows,  Lud,  the  Ludim 
of  Gen.  10:13  and  Jer.  46  :  9,  elsewhere  represented  as  warriors 
(Ezek  27  :  10.  30  :  5).  Javan  is  the  Hebrew  name  for  Greece 
(Gen.  10  :  2.  Dan.  8  :  21.  Zech.  9  :  13),  perhaps  identical  with 
Ion  or  Ionia.  The  same  name  essentially  exists  in  Sanscrit. 
The  nations  specified  are  obviously  given  as  a  sample.  This  is 
rendered  still  more  certain  by  the  addition  of  the  general  ex- 
pression, the  remote  coasts  or  islaiids;  for  the  sense  of  which  see 


CHAPTEIl    LXVI.  463 

above,  on  ch.  41  :  1.  The  suggestion  is  not  without  plausibility 
that  some  of  the  obscure  names  here  used  were  selected  for  the 
express  purpose  of  conveying  the  idea  of  remote  and  unknown 
regions.  The  restriction  of  the  promise  to  the  very  places 
mentioned  would  be  like  the  proceeding  of  a  critic  who  should 
argue  hereafter  from  the  mention  of  Greenland,  India,  Africa, 
and  Ceylon,  in  Heber's  Missionary  Hymn,  that  the  zeal  of 
English  Protestants  extended  only  to  those  portions  of  the 
heathen  world.  As  this  interpretation  of  the  hymn  would  be 
forbidden,  not  only  by  the  general  analogy  of  figurative  language 
and  of  lyric  composition,  but  by  the  express  use  of  such  uni- 
versal phrases  as  "  from  pole  to  pole"  in  the  very  same  connec- 
tion, so  in  this  case  it  is  plain  that  the  essential  meaning  of  the 
whole  enumeration  is  that  expressed  in  the  following  clause : 
ivho  have  not  heard  my  fame  and  have  not  seen  my  glory.  As  to 
the  meaning  of  tlie  whole  ve^'se,  or  the  nature  of  the  event  which 
it  predicts,  interpreters  differ  in  exact  accordance  with  their 
several  hypotheses.  The  only  way  in  which  these  seeming  con- 
tradictions can  be  reconciled  is  by  assuming  what  is  in  itself 
most  natural  and  perfectly  agreeable  to  usage,  namely,  that 
V.  19  does  not  describe  the  progress  of  (.vents  be3"ond  the  time  re- 
ferred to  in  V.  18,  but  explains  in  what  way  the  assemblage  there 
described  is  to  be  brought  about.  I  will  gather  all  nations. 
By  what  means  ?  I  will  send  those  who  escape  my  judgments 
to  invite  them.  Both  verses  being  then  collateral  and  equally 
dependent  on  v.  17,  the  pronoun  thni  refers  to  the  persons 
there  described,  viz.  the  apostate  Jews,  whose  excision  is  the 
subject  of  this  prophecy.  The  whole  may  then  be  paraphrased 
as  follows:  Such  being  their  character,  I  will  cast  them  off  and 
gather  the  nations  to  take  their  place  ;  for  which  end  I  will 
send  forth  the  survivors  of  the  nation,  the  elect  for  whose  sake 
these  days  shall  be  shortened  when  all  besides  them  perish,  to 
declare  my  glory  in  the  regions  where  my  name  has  never  yet 
been  heard.     Thus  understood,  the  passage  is  exactly  descrip- 


454  CHAPTER   LX  VI. 

tivo  of  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  at  the  beginning  of  the  new 
dispensation.  All  the  first  preachers  were  escaped  Jews, 
plucked  as  brands  frola  the  burning,  saved  from  that  perverse 
generation  (Acts  2  :  40).  The  5/^«  will  then  denote  the  whole 
miraculous  display  of  divine  power,  in  bringing  the  old  dis- 
pensation to  a  close  and  introducing  the  new,  including  the 
destruction  of  the  unbelieving  Jews  on  the  one  hand,  and  on 
the  other  all  those  signs  and  wonders  and  divers  miracles  and 
gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost  (Heb.  2  :  4),  which  Paul  calls  the  signs 
of  an  apostle  (2  Cor.  12  :  12),  and  which  Christ  himself  had 
promised  should  follow  them  that  believed  (Mark  16  :  17).  All 
these  were  signs  placed  among  them,  i.  e.  among  the  Jews,  to 
the  greater  condemnation  of  the  unbelievers,  and  to  the  salva- 
tion of  such  as  should  be  saved.  That  there  will  not  be  here- 
after an  analogous  display  of  divine  power  in  the  further  execu- 
tion of  this  promise,  cannot  be  proved,  and  need  not  be  affirmed ; 
but  if  there  never  should  be,  it  will  still  have  had  a  glorious 
fulfilment  in  a  series  of  events  compared  with  which  the  restora- 
tion of  the  Jewish  people  to  the  land  of  Canaan  is  of  little 
moment. 

20.  And  they  shall  bring  all  your  brethren  from  all  nations 
an  oblation  to  Jehovah,  with  horses,  and  toith  chariot,  and  with 
litters,  a?id  icilh  mules,  and  tcith  dromedary's,  on  my  holy  moun- 
tain Jerusalem,  saith  Jehovah,  as  the  children  of  Israel  bring  the 
oblation  in  a  clean  vessel  to  the  house  of  Jehovah.  The  verb  at 
the  beginning  may  be  construed  either  with  the  messengers  of 
V.  19,  or  indefinitely  as  denoting  'men  shall  bring  your  breth- 
ren,' equivalent  in  Hebrew  usage  to  'your  brethren  shall  be 
brought.'  Although  this  last  construction  is  in  perfect  agree- 
ment with  analogy,  the  other  is  not  only  unobjectionable  but 
entitled  to  the  preference  as  much  more  graphic  and  expres- 
sive. The  survivors  sent  forth  to  the  nations  are  then  described 
as  bringing  back  the  converts  to  the  true  religion  as  an  offer- 


CHAPTER    LXVI.  455 

ing  to  Jehovali.  Their  return  for  this  purpose  is  described  as 
easy,  swift,  and  even  splendid,  all  the  choicest  methods  of  con- 
veyance used  in  ancient  times  being  here  combined  to  express 
that  idea.  As  to  the  sense  of  the  particular  expressions  there 
is  no  longer  any  dispute  or  doubt.  The  ininhah  was  the  stated 
vegetable  offering  of  the  Mosaic  ritual.  It  was  commonly 
composed  of  flour  with  oil  and  incense  ;  hut  the  name,  in  its 
widest  sense,  may  be  considered  as  including  fruits  and  grain 
in  a  crude  as  well  as  a  prepared  state.  This  oblation  seems  to 
be  selected  here  as  free  from  the  concomitant  ideas  of  cruelty 
and  grossness  which  were  inseparable  from  bloody  sacrifices. 
The  only  general  exegetical  question  in  relation  to  this  verse  is 
whether  T/OJ^/"  brethrefi  means  the  scattered  Jews  or  the  converted 
gentiles.  Here  again,  all  depends  upon  a  foregone  conclusion. 
How  inextricably  tliis  one  case  is  implicated  in  the  general 
question  as  to  the  subject  and  design  of  the  prophecy,  appears 
from  the  fact  that  those  who  apply  this  expression  to  the  Jews 
content  themselves  with  citing  all  the  other  places  in  Isaiah 
where  precisely  the  same  doubt  exists  as  in  the  case  before  us. 
In  favour  of  the  other  explanation  may  be  cited  Paul's  descrip- 
tion of  the  gentiles  as  an  oblation  which  he  as  an  officiating 
priest  oflered  up  to  God.  (Rom.  15:  16.)  Although  it  might 
be  doubted  whether  Paul  there  formally  explains  or  even 
quotes  this  prophecy,  bis  obvious  allusion  to  its  images  and 
terms  shows  at  least  that  he  considered  them  as  bearing  such 
an  application,  and  in  the  absence  of  any  other  gives  it  un- 
doubtedly a  clear  advantage.  Another  suggestion  not  un- 
worthy of  attention,  is  that  there  may  here  be  special  reference 
to  the  early  converts  from  the  heathen  world  considered  as  the 
first  fruUs  of  the  spiritual  harvest ;  which  agrees  well  with  the 
wide  use  of  the  technical  term  minhah.  as  already  stated,  and 
with  the  frequent  application  of  the  figure  of  first  fruits  to  the 
same  subject  in  the  books  of  the  New  Testament. 


456  CHAPTER  LXVI. 

21.  And  also  of  them  zvill  I  take  for  Priests  for  Levites  saith 
Jehovah.  Many  manuscripts  supply  and  before  the  second  for. 
The  peculiar  form  of  the  common  text  may  be  intended  to 
identify  the  two  classes,  as  in  point  of  fact  the  Priests  were  all 
without  exception  Levites.  It  seems  at  least  to  be  implied 
that  the  distinction  is  in  this  case  of  no  consequence,  both 
names  being  given  lest  either  should  appear  to  be  excluded. 
The  only  question  here  is  to  what  the  pronoun  them  refers 
The  Jews  of  course  refuse  to  understand  it  of  the  gentiles, 
except  as  meaning  for  the  Priests  and  Levites.,  for  their  service, 
as  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers,  of  water !  Of  those  who 
adopt  the  natural  construction  wliich  refers  of  them  to  gentile 
converts,  some  understand  this  as  a  promise  that  they  shall  all 
be  admitted  to  the  spiritual  priesthood  common  to  believers. 
But  others,  on  the  ground  that  the  expressions,  /  -will  take  and 
of  them^  both  imply  selection  and  discrimination,  refer  it  to 
the  Christian  ministry,  to  wliich  the  gentiles  have  as  free 
access  as  Jews  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  office  might 
be  so  described  in  a  strongly  figurative  context,  where  the  func- 
tions of  the  ministry  were  represented  in  the  same  connection 
as  sacerdotal  functions.  But  the  only  offering  here  mentioned 
is  the  offering  of  the  gentile  converts  as  an  oblation  to  Jeho- 
vah, and  the  priesthood  meant  seems  to  be  merely  the  ministry 
of  those  by  whom  their  conversion  is  effected.  The  most 
natural  interpretation  seems  to  be  as  follows.  The  mass 
of  the  Jewish  people  was  to  be  cast  off  from  all  connection 
with  the  church  ;  but  the  elect  who  should  escape  were  to  be 
sent  among  the  nations  and  to  bring  them  for  an  offering  to 
Jehovah,  as  the  Priests  and  Levites  offered  the  oblation  at 
Jerusalem.  But  this  agency  was  not  to  be  confined  to  the  Jews 
who  were  first  entrusted  with  it ;  not  only  of  them,  but  also  of 
the  gentiles  themselves,  priests  and  Levites  should  be  chosen 
to  offer  this  oblation,  i.  e.  to  complete  the  vocation  of  the  gen- 
tiles.    Should  the  context  be  supposed  to  require  a  still  more 


CHAPTER   LXVI.  457 

general  meaning,  it  may  be  that  the  sacerdotal  mediation  of  the 
ancient  Israel  between  Jehovah  and  the  other  nations,  which 
was  symbolized  by  the  Levitical  and  Aaronic  priesthood,  was  to 
cease  with  the  necessity  that  brought  it  into  being,  and  to  leave 
the  divine  presence  as  accessible  to  one  race  as  another. 

22.  For  as  the  mw  heavens  and  the  new  earthy  which  I  am 
making  (or  about  to  make),  are  standing  (or  about  to  stand)  be- 
fore me,  saith  Jehovah,  so  shall  stand  your  name  and  your  seed. 
To  the  reference  of  the  preceding  verse  to  the  gentiles  it  is 
urged  as  one  objection,  that  the  verse  before  us  does  not  give  a 
reason  for  the  promise  so  explained  ;  for  how  could  it  be  said 
that  God  would  put  them  on  a  level  with  the  Jews  because  the 
name  and  succession  of  the  latter  were  to  be  perpetual?  But 
this  objection  rests  upon  the  false  assumption,  running  through 
the  whole  interpretation  of  tli^s  book,  that  the  promise  is  ad- 
dressed to  Israel  as  a  nation ;  whereas  it  is  addressed  to  Israel 
as  a  church,  from  which  the  natural  descendants  of  Jacob  for 
the  most  part  have  been  cut  off,  and  the  object  of  this  verse  is 
to  assure  the  church  that  notwithstanding  this  excision  it 
should  still  continue  to  exist,  not  only  as  a  church,  but  as  the 
church,  the  identical  body  which  was  clothed  in  the  forms  of 
the  old  dispensation,  and  which  still  survives  when  they  are 
worn  out  and  rejected.  The  grand  error  incident  to  a  change 
of  dispensations  was  the  very  one  which  has  perverted  and  ob- 
scured the  meaning  of  these  prophecies,  the  error  of  confound- 
ing the  two  Israels  whom  Paul  so  carefully  distinguishes,  and 
of  supposing  that  the  promises  given  to  the  church  when  ex- 
ternally identified  with  one  race  are  continued  to  that  race 
even  after  its  excision  from  the  church-  It  was  to  counter- 
act this  very  error  that  the  verse  before  us  was  recorded,  in 
which  God's  people,  comprehending  a  remnant  of  the  natural 
Israel  and  a  vast  accession  from  the  gentiles,  are  assured  that 
God  regards  them  as  h^a  o.wa  chosen  peo.ple,  not  a  new  one,  but 

VOL.  II. — 20 


458  CHAPTER   LXVI. 

the  same  that  was  of  old,  and  that  the  very  object  of  the  great 
revolution,  here  and  elsewhere  represented  as  a  new  creation,  was 
to  secure  their  perpetuity  and  constant  recognition  as  his  people. 
Since  then  he  creates  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth  for  this  very 
purpose,  that  purpose  cannot  be  defeated  while  these  heavens 
and  that  earth  endure.  The  Jews  themselves  understand  this 
as  a  promise  that  their  national  pre-eminence  shall  be  perpetual. 

23.  And  it  shall  he  (or  come  to  pass)  that  from  new-moon  to 
new-moon  (or  on  every  new  moon),  and  from  sabbath  to  sabbath  (or 
on  every  sabbath)^  shall  come  all  fiesh  to  bow  themselves  (or  tvor- 
ship)  before  me,  saith  Jehovah.  The  form  of  expression  in  the 
first  clause  is  so  idiomatic  and  peculiar  that  it  docs  not  admit 
of  an  exact  translation.  A  slavish  copy  of  the  original  would 
be,  'from  tire  suificiency  of  new  moon  in  its  new  moon  and 
from  the  sufficiency  of  sabbath  in  its  sabbath.'  For  the  usage 
of  the  Hebrew  phrase,  see  above,  on  ch.  28  :  19.  It  sometimes 
stands  where  we  should  say  as  often  as  (1  Sam.  18  :  30.  1  Kings 
14  :  28).  Although  the  form  is  so  peculiar,  there  is  no  doubt 
as  to  the  essential  meaning,  viz.  from  new  moon  to  new  moon, 
or  at  every  new  moon.  At  these  stated  periods  of  public  wor- 
ship under  the  old  economy  (those  of  most  frequent  recurrence 
being  specified)  all  flesh  shall  came  up  to  worship  before  me. 
There  is  no  more  need  of  excluding  Jerusalem  from  one  verse 
than  the  other,  since  the  Prophet,  in  accordance  with  his  con- 
stant practice,  speaks  of  the  emancipated  church  in  language 
borrowed  from  her  state  of  bondage  ;  and  that  this  form  of 
expression  is  a  natural  one,  may  be  inferred  from  the  facility 
with  which  it  is  perpetuated  in  the  common  parlance  of  the 
church  and  of  religion,  the  Jerusalem  or  Zion  of  our  prayers 
and  hymns  being  perfectly  identical  with  that  of  the  prophecy 
before  us.  Thus  understood,  the  verse  is  a  prediction  of  the 
general  diffusion  of  the  true  religion  with  its  stated  observ- 
ances and  solemn  forms. 


CHAPTER   LXVI  459 

24.  And  they  shall  go  forth  and  gaze  upon  the  carcases  of  the 
men  who  revolted  (or  apostatized)  from  ?ne,  for  their  worm  shall 
7iot  die  and  their  fire  shall  not  be  que/iched,  and  they  shall  be  an 
horror  to  all  flesh.  The  first  verb  may  be  construed  indefi- 
nitely, '  they,  i.  e.  men,'  without  defining  them  ;  but  in  so  vivid 
a  description,  it  is  certainly  more  natural  to  give  the  verbs  a 
definite  subject,  and  especially  the  one  that  had  been  previously 
introduced,  viz.  the  worshippers  assembled  from  all  nations  to 
do  homage  at  Jerusalem.  The  grand  theme  of  these  prophe- 
cies, as  we  have  seen,  is  the  relation  of  God's  people  to  himself 
and  to  the  world,  and  in  the  latter  stages  of  its  history,  to  that 
race  with  which  it  was  once  outwardly  identical.  The  great 
catastrophe  with  which  the  vision  closes  is  the  change  of  dis- 
pensations, comprehending  the  final  abolition  of  the  ceremo- 
nial law  and  its  concomitants,  the  introduction  of  a  spiritual 
worship  and  the  consequent  difi'usion  of  the  church,  its  vast 
enlargement  by  the  introduction  of  all  gentile  converts  to  com- 
plete equality  of  privilege  and  honour  with  the  believing  Jews, 
and  the  excision  of  the  unbelieving  Jews  from  all  connection 
with  the  church  or  chosen  people,  which  they  once  imagined  to 
have  no  existence  independent  of  themselves.  The  contrast 
between  these  two  bodies,  the  rejected  Jews  and  their  believ- 
ing brethren  forming  one  great  mass  with  the  believing  gen- 
tiles, is  continued  to  the  end,  and  presented  for  the  last  time 
in  these  two  concluding  verses,  where  the  whole  is  condensed 
into  a  single  vivid  spectacle,  of  which  the  central  figure  is 
Jerusalem,  and  its  walls  the  dividing  line  between  the  two  con- 
trasted objects.  Within  is  the  true  Israel,  without  the  false. 
Within,  a  great  congregation,  even  "  all  flesh,"  come  from  the 
east  and  the  west,  and  the  north  and  the  south,  while  the 
natural  children  of  the  kingdom  are  cast  out.  (Matt.  8  :  12.) 
The  end  of  the  former  is  left  to  be  imagined  or  inferred  from 
other  prophecies,  but  that  of  the  latter  is  described,  or  sug- 
gested in  a  way  more  terrible  than  all  description.     In  the 


460  CHAPTER   LXVI. 

valley  of  the  son  of  Hinnom,  under  the  very  brow  of  Zion 
and  Moriah,  where  the  children  were  once  sacrificed  to  Moloch, 
and  where  purifying  fires  were  afterwards  kept  ever  burning, 
the  apostate  Israel  is  finally  exhibited,  no  longer  living  but 
committed  to  the  flames  of  Tophet.  To  render  our  conceptions 
more  intense,  the  worm  is  added  to  the  flame,  and  both  are 
represented  as  undying.  That  the  contrast  hitherto  maintained 
may  not  be  forgotten  even  in  this  closing  scene,  the  men 
within  the  walls  are  seen  by  the  light  of  those  funereal  fires 
coming  forth  and  gazing  at  the  ghastly  scene,  not  with  de- 
light as  some  interpreters  pretend,  but,  as  the  text  expressly 
Bays,  with  horror.  In  its  primary  meaning,  this  is  a  prophecy 
of  ruin  to  the  unbelieving  Jews,  apostate  Israel.  But  as  the 
safety  of  the  chosen  remnant  was  to  be  partaken  by  all  other 
true  believers,  so  the  ruin  of  the  unbelieving  Jew  is  to  be  shared 
by  every  other  unbeliever.  Thus  the  verse  becomes  descriptive 
of  the  final  doom  of  the  ungodly,  without  any  deviation  from  its 
proper  sense,  or  any  supposition  of  a  mere  allusion  or  accom- 
modation in  the  use  of  the  same  figures  by  our  Lord  himself 
in  reference  to  future  torments.  All  that  is  requisite  to  recon- 
cile and  even  to  identify  the  two  descriptions  is  the  considera- 
tion that  the  state  of  ruin  here  described  is  final  and  continu- 
ous, however  it  may  be  divided,  in  the  case  of  individuals, 
between  the  present  life  and  that  which  is  to  come.  Hell  is 
of  both  worlds,  so  that  in  the  same  essential  sense  although  in 
diff"erent  degrees,  it  may  be  said  both  of  him  who  is  still 
living  but  accursed,  and  of  him  who  perished  centuries  ago, 
that  his  worm  dieth  not  and  his  fire  is  not  quenched. 


THE   END. 


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Isalh  translated  and  explained:  an 

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